Outline : Poor supply of water—many difficulties experienced— cleanliness cannot be maintained properly—fear of diseases spreading— even drinking water sometimes not available.
The problem of water supply in a big city like Delhi is quite acute. It reaches at alarming point during the summer months, when the water taps run dry. There is not a single drop of water. The Yamuna flows at its low level. The water comes just for a while. It leads to a lot of tension and quarrel especially in the streets where there are community taps. People form long queues with their pitchers, pails and buckets. They stand in wait for water for hours together. They are there right from early morning or even earlier. The low lying areas may have a little of water. But what about the houses and localities situated at high places ? There the water reaches very slowly even in the normal times. The inhabitants of such places remain waterless. They dug tube- wells or do boring in the ground
to get free flow of water. But in such ventures success is not certain. Mostly it is wastage of time, money and energy.
In Delhi water is a precious commodity. It is most sought-after. It is the first need of the sprawling populating of lakhs of people. Delhi is visited by many lakhs of people everyday for business or job purposes. This nugatory wandering) populace urgently need water for drinking and cleaning. But the same water is not available. It has become most irregular and scanty.
One faces many difficulties in the event of erratic supply of water. Street quarrels and comer brawls originate from water issue. Sometimes things take very serious turn. Hot words are exchanged. Heads are broken. Pitchers are smashed. Hoodlums have a hey day. They obey no laws. They have scanty fear of the police. The whole atmosphere gets tense and grim. Relations with the neighbours become strained. Enmity adds fuel to the fire. A small bounty of nature, but extremely valuable, becomes the origin of plenty of troubles and fights. Quite often the police intervenes. Matters get worse. Moods are spoiled.
I am the resident of Shorakothi, Subzimandi. The place is situated at a high place. It is said of this locality if the entire city is submerged in flood-water, it will never reach Shorakothi. Here the cluster of houses is very thick. Most of the house owners have let out their spare rooms. There are scores of tenants. Now and everyone needs water very badly. They need water for drinking. They require it for cleaning and washing. Even the stray cattle wandering in the lanes and by- lanes of the area need water. Without water, cleanliness cannot be maintained properly. The dirt and filth collects in the absence of water. It stinks the complete locality. One cannot pass without covering one's face with handkerchief. The fear of epidemic arises. The plague may breakout. It can endanger the lives of the area. Diseases spread too often. In case of non-availability of potable (drinking) water, the living creatures—both men and women, old and young, birds and beasts feel like fish out of water.
Water is a nectar of life. After the air it is the next essential for our survival. Without water you may live for a day or two, then the end is a must. Its need is felt all the more acute during sultry summer. Then water is very much necessary. One drinks water again and again, one quenches one's thirst. In certain places in India itself, there is scarcity of water. Rajasthan is an example in point.
It is high time that the authorities ensured the supply of water day-in and day-out. They should take ample measures to increase the flow of it. Let it flow freely. There must not be any rationing on water. It is a nature's gift to man.
