•The wells and bore wells in Belagavi city have run dry, and the water bodies have depleted to unprecedented levels
•There is a scarcity of water in the city. The administration is making sure that water is being supplied through tankers to households
The sad plight of a city that was once teeming with groundwater with wells in every compound. There were areas where if you dug to plant a tree, you would hit the water.
There has been a disastrous change in the scenario over the past 4 decades.
Yes, the population of the city has increased, and we have more cups to fill with water and bodies to wash, but is that all?
While we have been obsessed with issues like freebies and development, slowly but sadly, a larger crisis is emerging. Thanks to the delayed monsoon and more; the water crisis has come home. We have witnessed signs of it in the recent past but have conveniently chosen to ignore it.
A similar situation existed in 2016, and the same dry demon has come to haunt us again. It has been over 7 years on the ground, and nothing seems to have changed in terms of the way we live.
Pyaas Foundation in Belagavi was established in 2016 under the leadership of Dr. Madhav Prabhu to provide water to those in need and to revive water bodies by creating lakes.
Amulya Boondh Foundation, a phenomenal human initiative of Dr. Aarati Bhandare, has been focusing on spreading awareness about water conservation and more.
While we have all witnessed their work and applauded their relentless work, very little seems to have changed on both the personal and social front in terms of managing the elixir of life.
Should we put our minds to it, the solutions exist, and the technology is simple. It is called Common Sense.
Here is what we need to do:
1. Generate awareness and take strict action against wastage of water and little things matter, like the amount of water that is being used to was household compounds and vehicles
2. Create, retain, and maintain open spaces with vegetation so that water has a chance to seep in
3. Revive old wells both in public spaces and private compounds
4. Make rainwater harvesting mandatory for all households, including apartments, and that too, not just on paper
5. Increase the green cover in the city to positively impact the climate and prevent the city from worsening as an urban heat island
6. Desilt existing water bodies to enhance the storage space
As we move towards a dangerous dream of making out a city, a deemed metropolis of sorts, it is important not to forget that
“WATER IS THE ELIXIR OF LIFE”
Author: Sameer Majli, Founder Green Saviours Association