State newspapers particularly the Central Chronicle has written extensively on the severe water scarcity that has hit most of the cities and towns of Madhya Pradesh as also the villages. Apart from their daily drinking needs the villagers need water for their cattle. With village ponds having gone dry this is going to be a massive problem leading to large scale migrations from water scarcity areas to the places better off.
It is the month of April and the citizens in the cities best off with regard to water availability are getting water once in two days. There are towns that get water once in 6-7 days.
The holy city of Ujjain is, perhaps the worst off with the people waiting for days for water tankers to get water for their daily needs. Water scarcity can lead to spread of a large number of diseases particularly stomach and skin related diseases. The State Health Department must be cautioned to be ready with their stock of medicines.
It will be testing times for state administration particularly the police to maintain law and order in the months of May and June when conditions are likely to worsen. Water riots cannot be ruled out. Already some places have seen quarrels over distribution of water. As it is people are sending their families away to relatives to places where water is available to overcome the current crisis.
I am afraid the state cannot escape the responsibility for the present mess. It has taken too many things for granted to let this happen. Hope, now it will not be caught napping in mitigating the misery that stares the people of the state in the face. Election Commission will be well advised to remove election-related embargo with regard to allocation of funds for arranging supply of water.
RJ Khurana, Bhopal
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Sunday, August 01, 2010
