The weather in this current year is comparatively cooler couples with intermittent showers. It is, therefore, hoped that a near drought condition the denizens of Kohima and its peripheries annually witness would become a thing of past. Contrastingly, it was widely reported in various neighborhoods in Kohima that the owners of ponds, wells or other water sources experienced a relatively lesser volume and of fairly lower than the previously known storage capacity. The underlie assumption is that we are tapping ground and surface water far exceeding the carrying capacity of the nature that few showers that once replenish our surface and ground water within a few possible time has now become almost next to impossible, leaving us with longer time to wait to meet our everyday needs.
According to the leading consulting firm in water sector – EA Water – close to 70% of irrigation and 80% of domestic water use comes from groundwater, and is depleting rapidly. The firm has warned that India will become a water scarce country by 2025 due to demand-supply mismatch. With increase in per capita income, the demand for domestic and industrial water use will increase. The scarcity will, however, open up investment opportunities for well off countries like the United States, Germany, Israel, Canada etc to invest in country’s water sector.
Noting in advance the inevitable fluctuation of climate and its associated repercussion upon humanity, environmentalists, conservationists and leaders from across the globe held successive climate conferences from Rio Earth Summit to recent COP 21 in Paris in an attempt to keep the average global temperature well below the 2-degree Celsius rise. India, having had committed itself to limit its carbon emission by 33-35% of the 2005 level, would certainly need to minimize its dependence on coal-based power generation to other clean sources of energy. This switching-over will result in increase pressure on water usage. As an early sign, the PM in a few days past, had asked the country’s farming community for diversification of cropping pattern so as to reduce dependence on irrigation and other water-based intensive cultivation.
Closer back to home, there are unprecedented marked changes in farming system. Partially attributing to wrong policy formulation and unplanned developmental activities, in the name of better connectivity and mobility, widening of existing roads and fresh cutting of earth for new connection were executed while completely disregarding the peripheral and downhill areas with heavily clustered terraces and jhum fields. As the natural streams and depressions are either leveled or filled with cut earth, the course of flowing water are either disturbed or diverted towards a new direction. The formerly free-flowing surface water is forced to percolate through the rough pores which thus diminish its availability. In some cases, the terraces are filled with debris of rocks, barks and roots that leave the owners with no alternative but to stake claim in other ventures involving risks. Consequentially, the once fertile terrace and jhum fields are abandoned and left barren.
Also, as the erstwhile water sources and streams that feed the wet terraces are cemented by dumping of fresh cut earth, the wet terraces serving two purposes – as paddy fields and as seasonal fishery ponds that economically boost the marginal farmers – are disturbed. To a large extent, the economy of the local people is, therefore, categorically weakened. Even in normal condition where there takes place no developmental works, the last few years experienced near dry-up of water sources in various regions.
The present rate of deforestation further enhance water run-off during rainy season as thin vegetation effectively check infiltration. This lower rate of percolation hastens rapid depletion of groundwater amidst excessive exploitation of water resources to meet the rising agricultural demand. In addition, monsoon instability in the last few years had rendered many farmers to lose trust in unpredictable monsoon. Such a change in climatic pattern has dearly contributed to the ultimate abandoning of terraces and jhum fields in manifold in rural Nagaland.
As an inherent characteristic to the climate induced economic instability and development induced displacement, a bulk of the population flocked to the urban areas, particularly to Kohima and Dimapur, in search of better employment opportunities. Having observed that the majority of the migrating groups are of relatively younger age, only few lucky gets the job/work while the greater half continues to be partially without any job/work. Continuous combat against starvation has become a necessity to keep one’s stomach full by crook or by hook and its rising incidences has consequentially contributed to the increasing rate of social maladies including thievery, gambling, excessive collection, extortion, illicit business outlets or as agents of outlawed syndicates.
The by-product of the presence of lesser work force in agricultural fields is the general decline in total productivity as opposed to previously known total agricultural output. Even the total productivity of domesticated vegetables, fruits, or other related horticultural products are significantly compact in quantity that the pressure now largely shift to wild edible species. With few resources to meet unlimited demands, the costs of such essential items in market skyrocketed. From village shed to urban market, both quantity and quality keeps on descending whereas its market price keeps on ascending.
While the value remains stagnant as the price retains its dynamism, a composite reaction is felt in public offices and in public undertakings. Surpassing all ethical considerations, one does not care enough to question what if one pocketed the funds meant for the old-age, the children, the women, the weaker section, the youth and the public. Stories of uncompleted developmental works, abandoned projects, fraudulent drawal from public accounts bearing fictitious names, clarification and counter-clarification between and within departments, siphoning of items under PDS and anomalies and mismatch in relation between fund utilization and physical works in most of developmental projects in Nagaland are all direct indications of maneuvering short term solution in arresting long term ramification. Instead of addressing the issue at hand, the problem is multiplying each day at the cost of those at the edge of the extremely unbalanced lower strata.
Taking advantage of the irregular water supply together with government’s inability to provide potable piped-water to meet the increasing domestic demand, mini-trucks loaded with water-tanks/sintexes emerge as a profitable commerce in urban areas, especially in the state capital. Reserving least attention to the consumers amidst soaring water scarcity, the so-called private water suppliers, irrespective of its sources and disregarding safety concerns, indulge in water trade. With few exceptions, the quality of the supplied water is often unfit for human consumption but that does not discourage the suppliers from selling at unreasonably high price. In the absence of any urban local bodies to monitor and regulate private water supply, self-vested individuals/groups manipulate the situation as a direct license to indulge in unhealthy competition which itself is unhealthy for the lives of the vulnerable.
Inter-village and even inter-tribal disputes are frequently reported as a result of a taut contention over water sources mainly for ownership claims. Further, cases of litigation over water sources oblige clannish and familial relationships to undergo an intricate changes which otherwise act as a symbol of unity and mutual understanding. Hence, greed driven expansionist policy on territorial possession considerably for domestic supplies and irrigation has resulted in piling of cases of compounded land acquisition amongst private individuals and its associated unauthorized encroachment.
With recent studies pointing to the lack of access to clear water and poor productivity in foodgrains as one of the major factors of the crises in the Middle East including Syria, a situation look so grim here in our home state as the relationship between them and us is dismally the same in nature – a direct by-product of environmental mismanagement. Children are without potable water at homes, in schools, in hospitals while the women folk are forced to bear the brunt of the extreme temperature working day-long in fields. Simultaneously, the number of thirsty and hungry stomachs is doubling its figure. Still then, our drainages, our nullahs and streams in and around our towns are mostly perennial. Unless we mend our civic ways, tap the available water sources, employ scientific applications to treat our wastes, minimize the wastage of water and maximize its storage, as is environmentally popularly known, the “death of birth” is not far from being dawned.
Nukhosa Chüzho
