Peren Town is situated at 1445 meters above sea level with a distance of 84 kms from Dimapur and 139 kms from Kohima and situated on a hillock. History has it that Charles R. Pawsey, a colonial Britisher sensing the need for defence and administrative conveniences, was instrumental in the establishment of Peren Town on the 1st April, 1947.
In Peren Town, population is steadily rising with the migration from neighbouring hill- villages of Northern Zeme areas, Tening and Nsong Circles, from parts of Manipur and North Cachar Hills in Assam and eventually, demand for water-supply has increased sharply. One can say without doubt that successive Governments have so far not been able to resolve the acute scarcity of water, atleast in Peren Town. Leave alone villages, many households in semi-urban Towns like Tening, Nsong and Peren lack proper access to drinking water. No doubt in the past, many projects to supply safe drinking water was taken up by competent authorities which however, seem to have got stuck in red-tape. The people of Peren Town have felt that the progress on the part of the State Government’s focus on environmental sustainability in the face of the increasing water crisis in Peren Town is almost invisible.
Respected Sir, as we all know water affect people's lives in many ways; beginning with access and affordability. Other issues include how poor water-quality affects health and how young children, including girls, are more affected as often they are burdened with walking long distances to fetch water. On another level, lack of water can break down social harmony and even cause wars between communities. Clearly, water is not an easy subject to deal with.
Water scarcity has hit Peren really hard and old rusted PHE pipeline, which have not been replaced for several decades, is one major reason leading to water scarcity. The outdated pipelines fitted many decades back is yet to be replaced, which has been causing frequent pipe bursts.
Mini-trucks, pick-ups, dumpers etc belonging to private water suppliers, Assam Rifles, Police and GREF are usually lined up on the way to Teipuiki River as early as 2am. By 4 am, young boys and girls aged as young as 5-6 years, are seen heading for tiny ponds and springs to collect water for their domestic use.
Sir, many have felt that the need of the day is to install new water pipelines right from Tesangki River so as to ensure regular drinking water supply by making it accessible to all. Otherwise the issues will still continue to haunt the people residing in Peren Town in the years to come.
Also Sir, it may be worth bringing to your notice that some couple of years back, survey was made for augmentation of water supply from Teipuiki River, but the project had to be abandoned as the extended pipelines could not supply water to an elevated area like Peren Town due to low pressure. If need be Sir, your authority may also look into this issue for further research.
People today are more focussed on protection, conservation and judicious use of water as water is used in several ways-as a raw material, solvent, coolant, transport agent, energy source, for producing metals, wood, paper, chemicals, gasoline, oils, glass, plastic, fabric components, etc. Unfortunate it may sound, the irony here in our Town is that when we talk of water, its acute scarcity of drinking water and not water for production, commercial or industrial use. The lines of American Poetess Emily Dickinson is very true when she wrote, ‘Water is Taught by Thirst'. One needs to feel it, to really know it.
It may be wrong but going by past experiences, the PHED does not seem to be in a hurry to neither enforce the standards of conserving water neither look into the existing pipelines with sincerity here in our hometown. It may be wrong again, to hold the Department entirely responsible but undoubtedly, some households in Peren Town have not received PHED water supply since last year. People from the Town are driving down to Teipuiki River, river separating Nagaland and Manipur some 10 Kms away for fetching drinking water, which speaks volumes.
Sir, competent authorities had earlier decided to pursue for replacement of water-supply pipelines at Peren Town but having witnessed many false promises which many a time were simply ‘lip services’, it is felt the issue may see the cold-storage yet again, unless taken up by your authority at the highest level in letter and in spirit.
In regions like Peren Town, Tening Town, Nsong Town and neighbouring hilly habitat where the water crisis is at its worst, exploitation of ground-water can play an instrumental role by designing and drilling boring-wells. If a humble suggestion may be made here, it is felt that the collaboration of PHE and Geology & Mining, at least in Peren, can create a joint working mechanism for making water accessible to the people.
At present, there are around 11 Tube-wells in Peren District out of which one each at Tening and Peren constructed by a private firm, Global Tube well, have gone dry while two more Tube Wells constructed by the same firm at Police New Reserve, Peren are operational. Constructed by Geology & Mining Department, one is located at All Saints’s Hr. Secondary School, Peren while the Tube-well at Peren Town Baptist Church (PTBC) is still under construction. The remaining six Tube-wells constructed by the same Department are at Jalukie valley, four in Town area and two at New HQ area.
Majority have felt that Policy makers, the Government, development agencies and civil societies in Peren District must come together to work for areas which do not have access to proper water supply, particularly Peren Town. With support from World Bank through the courtesy of the State Government, few villages in the District are working out plans for proper water supply, which is one thing worth appreciating.
Likewise, a strong mechanism needs to be worked out on making the UN General Assembly resolution on the right to clean water and sanitation 2010, a reality. To transform this right into a reality at policy and ground levels, your immediate intervention is called for respected Sir.
In Gajanan Mishra’s Poem, ‘There is no place’; perhaps a place like Peren must have been the reference when the Indian Poet wrote:
There is no place
Where there is no water
Water water and water
Here we are dying
Without water.
Respected Sir, I pray that you will do justice to the pleas that have been reposed on you. Written with noble intention and in good faith.
Azeu Namcyn Hau
