-W.H. Auden
Hola folks!
Just a week ago, I was discussing a news article with Mitali and Manasvi about Cape Town soon running out of water, and how much I wanted them to write about this unimaginable yet very real global crisis- WATER SCARCITY! Sensing my urgency to do something about this sad situation, they suggested that I guest-blog on Musings & Mutterings, so here I am!
Folks, no matter how busy we are in leading our oh-so-hectic lives, climate change is happening NOW. And unlike Netflix, we can’t hit pause on this just because we are too busy to deal with it at the moment!
Imagine waking up one morning and being told that you will have access to only 25L of water per day to meet ALL your needs i.e. from brushing, bathing, flushing, car cleaning to cooking, dish-washing to everything. While you are digesting that piece of news, another disturbing fact comes to light - Those 25L of water will not be accessible through taps in your home. You would have to earn it by standing in long public queues every morning. (No, I am not being EXTRA!)
And this is not just for the underdeveloped or developing nations, it might soon apply to the developed nations of this world. This fictional scenario is actually coming to life as the fortunate ones(myself included) sit in the comfort of our fully-equipped houses. One of the world's most favourite tourist destinations is already grappling with this desperate situation. No, it is not some landlocked desert city, but the coastal city of South Africa, Cape Town. Shocking? You bet!
Folks, no matter how busy we are in leading our oh-so-hectic lives, climate change is happening NOW. And unlike Netflix, we can’t hit pause on this just because we are too busy to deal with it at the moment!
Imagine waking up one morning and being told that you will have access to only 25L of water per day to meet ALL your needs i.e. from brushing, bathing, flushing, car cleaning to cooking, dish-washing to everything. While you are digesting that piece of news, another disturbing fact comes to light - Those 25L of water will not be accessible through taps in your home. You would have to earn it by standing in long public queues every morning. (No, I am not being EXTRA!)
And this is not just for the underdeveloped or developing nations, it might soon apply to the developed nations of this world. This fictional scenario is actually coming to life as the fortunate ones(myself included) sit in the comfort of our fully-equipped houses. One of the world's most favourite tourist destinations is already grappling with this desperate situation. No, it is not some landlocked desert city, but the coastal city of South Africa, Cape Town. Shocking? You bet!
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| Cape Town |
As of 2018 Cape Town is experiencing a water crisis, following a drought that began in 2015, which is said to be the worst the region has experienced in one hundred years. As of 5 March 2018 the city has projected that 'Day Zero' will be reached on 15 June 2018, when most of the city's water will be shut off, and residents will have to queue to collect a water ration of 25 litres per person, per day.All of us are aware of the 'adjustments' one has to make while living in a big city. For instance, those of us who live in Delhi, cry and complain about the awful air quality, traffic jams, etc, but we have somehow internalized all that and accommodated a place for it in our lives. However, what do you think will happen when the whole city's population is forced to wake up at the crack of dawn to stand in a long queue to access a basic human lifeline i.e. WATER?? Let me list a few grim possibilities off the top of my head on what such a scenario might look like:
1. Elitism will make an appearance here as well, with the VIPs and the rich people throwing their name and power around. They will obviously remain unaffected by this crisis the longest.
2.Meanwhile, some would still not grasp the sense of the gravity of this situation. They’d continue to be audacious enough to consider it a temporary glitch because, Hello? "ये एनवीरोंमेन्टलिस्ट्स बेरोज़गार हैं, तभी हल्ला कर रहें है. कुछ दिन में थक कर भूल जायेंगे और सब नार्मल हो जायेगा "
2.Meanwhile, some would still not grasp the sense of the gravity of this situation. They’d continue to be audacious enough to consider it a temporary glitch because, Hello? "ये एनवीरोंमेन्टलिस्ट्स बेरोज़गार हैं, तभी हल्ला कर रहें है. कुछ दिन में थक कर भूल जायेंगे और सब नार्मल हो जायेगा "
Screw logic and facts. Geography and ecological balance can take a hike. These are the people who would just shut their eyes and act like there is no problem, thinking that by ignoring the same, it would miraculously go away.
This is exactly how we tackled/are tackling air pollution *Pat on the back*
3. Then there will be complete MORONS:
This is exactly how we tackled/are tackling air pollution *Pat on the back*
3. Then there will be complete MORONS:
-People dying of hunger: Continues to waste food
-Not everyone has access to electricity: Leaves every light on in the house, as if every day is Diwali
-There is a scarcity of water: Doesn't affect him/her. Goes on to throw an all-exclusive, invite-only, pool-party!!
4.The honest law abiding AAM-AADMI (a majority of the population): The middle-class citizen would once again be at the receiving end because he has no option. So basically, apart from all the other 'adjustments’, he would now also accommodate the time for the water queues in his schedule because come on! This class is born to work, work and only work.
5. Then those who will bear the brunt first - the POOR FOLKS. They will end up spending hours in line, the time that they could have spent working somewhere to earn hourly wages. Some might even die..... (Demonetization flashback). But this collateral damage is no biggie, right?.
While the poor and the not-so-well connected may be the first ones to be knocked out, the rich, elite and the powerful won't be exceptions/bystanders/onlookers to this crisis.
Everyone will only have themselves to blame for this crisis. Let’s face it, it is because we are too inconsiderate to let go of our long showers or we were too naive to believe that water scarcity is the next generation's problem and not ours, that we have reached such a scary point.
Talking specifically about Delhi, it is a city heavily dependent on groundwater and the table levels have already reached alarmingly low levels. Let us not ignore the stats and start being proactive by cutting down at least one instance of using water recklessly and postpone, if not prevent, this nightmare.
-Not everyone has access to electricity: Leaves every light on in the house, as if every day is Diwali
-There is a scarcity of water: Doesn't affect him/her. Goes on to throw an all-exclusive, invite-only, pool-party!!
5. Then those who will bear the brunt first - the POOR FOLKS. They will end up spending hours in line, the time that they could have spent working somewhere to earn hourly wages. Some might even die..... (Demonetization flashback). But this collateral damage is no biggie, right?.
While the poor and the not-so-well connected may be the first ones to be knocked out, the rich, elite and the powerful won't be exceptions/bystanders/onlookers to this crisis.
Everyone will only have themselves to blame for this crisis. Let’s face it, it is because we are too inconsiderate to let go of our long showers or we were too naive to believe that water scarcity is the next generation's problem and not ours, that we have reached such a scary point.
If nothing is done, the day is not far when you might not be able to afford
diamondswater ..........
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