Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink

We may soon find ourselves in a precarious situation where we’d have no water to quench our thirst. Overpopulation, mismanagement of resources, and lack of timely action will definitely put us in a spot. It has been predicted by the NITI Ayog that by 2030, 40% of Indian households will lose access to drinking water. When the facts are right in front of us, why have we still not woken up?

There’s no survival without water. Image source: VICE

Showers, bathtubs, hot-running water, jet sprays, and flushes- aren't they a blessing? Aside from the fact that we can all find these in the bathroom, a crucial element that they share is water. Most people can’t imagine starting their day without a shower or having a hygienic place to freshen up.

Can you imagine a world without water? Definitely not. Even our bodies contain high amounts of water, and we need it for survival.

How tragic would it be if someone told you that the world is running out of necessities? Although it is no secret, it pains me to tell you that most countries now face a water crisis. Humans have spent thousands of years, and somehow, we've managed to exhaust all resources, even the inexhaustible ones. Sounds outrageous, right?

As wild as it may sound, the truth is that the world is running out of water.

When we were in school, most of us must have read the stories such as Suneli ka Kua and Thakur ka Kua. If you remember even a bit, you'd recall that water was inaccessible to certain people either because they had no water source in their regions or belonged to the lower strata of society.

In recent years, water inequality has become prominent even in metropolitan cities.

Each summer brings in new water woes, and many residents rely on water tankers to fill their buckets. In a place where there's a high concentration of population and only one water tanker or tube well as the primary water source, people often compete for the necessities of life. Lack of water means that they compromise on their hygiene, too.

People take extreme measures when they feel their lives are under threat. Having little to no access to water causes people to resort to inhuman measures. We know that many parts of Maharashtra suffer from drought-like conditions each year. And the solution that people came up with? Polygamy. A man has more than one wife for the sole purpose of procuring water. These women became known as ‘water wives’. When the wife is too old to share the marital bed or perform physical labour with ease, the man marries another woman and the process goes on.

Not only is this situation heart-wrenching and humiliating, but it also shows what a meagre amount of effort humans are willing to do. Resorting to the option that suits their needs is an instinct, even if it comes at the cost of human rights and dignity.

In most areas, poor water management has caused rivers to dry up and groundwater levels to deplete.

Despite having a rich water network, Indian states suffer from a shortage of water each season. As environmental threat looms over our heads each day, it's time that the citizens of India considered better solutions such as water harvesting than indulging in odd practices that are often humiliating.

Water and humanitarian crisis in Denganmal- Water Wives. Image source: India Times