Water covers nearly 71 percent of the earth’s surface, and the oceans hold about 96.5 percent of all earth’s water. Water may be the most renewable of natural resources. It is present in several forms including the air as water vapor, falls from the sky as rain, forms rivers and lakes, icecaps and glaciers, in addition to being in the earth as soil moisture and in aquifers.
Water is everywhere and most, if not all, human activity involves using water. But harnessing fresh water is challenging. The World Wildlife Fund points out that “only 3% of the world’s water is fresh water, and two-thirds of that is tucked away in frozen glaciers or otherwise unavailable for our use.” The problem, according to the Fiona Harvey an environmental journalist of The Guardian, “is that most of the earth’s water resources are inaccessible and those that are accessible are unevenly distributed across the planet.” Despite its abundance, water has always been a concern.
Erratic and changing weather patterns have brought droughts, floods, and heat waves across the globe. The ever increasing population, rising human demand and overuse of water and growing pollution has not only decreased fresh water sources, but is also impacting fresh water supplies and underground aquifers. All these factors contribute to water scarcity, which are due to shortage of natural sources, lack of adequate infrastructure, scarcity in access and failure of governments and institutions to ensure a regular supply of water. The Science Daily says, a scarcity of water can lead to a water crisis where the available potable, unpolluted water within a region is less than that region’s demand.
Empirical study reveals that many conflicts throughout the course of human history have been fought over natural resources, including water. In fact, experts and analysts have time and again predicted that the next major conflict with global implications will be fought over water. The decreasing natural fresh water sources and the increasing value of water only enhance the possibilities of more water conflicts in the world.
What does this disturbing global water scenario mean for the Nagas? Are the Naga people and their leaders treating its fresh water source with reverence and dignity? Are appropriate measures being taken to protect our water sources from excess pollution? More importantly, are the government, community and institutions investing in water infrastructure to ensure a regular clean supply of water?
Despite many Naga towns and villages inhabiting in areas near water sources, they continue to face acute water shortages. The existing method of water distribution is almost non-existent, uses very rudimentary technology, and lacks long-term strategic planning. This has also meant that public institutions concentrate the water provided to selective colonies of a town, while private water carriers charge exorbitant rates. In places like Dimapur, the majority of the population relies on underground water sources, which leads to over-extraction of water, thereby causing other consequences. The bottom line is that the absence of good water governance has greatly affected the management, conservation and distribution of water.
Obviously, water management is a vital concern that the government and the communities need to collectively find common and relevant solutions in framing a transparent policy that will help improve managing fresh water resources, infrastructures, assets and water use in Nagaland. Policymakers in partnership with bureaucrats, academia, water experts, intellectuals and community representatives need to develop Good Water Governance for Nagaland. This process needs to define equitable realistic sustainable water policy goals and implement them so that all of Nagaland’s citizens have access to a clean regenerative water supply. Most of all, good water governance is about inclusive community engagement and building public trust and confidence.
The question in the public mind is whether the Nagaland government has the political will to develop effective good water governance for its people.
