One drop at a time: Conserve water like the Mizos do

The recent 28th Shodhyatra in Mizoram has been quite cathartic for me. I had been aware of the need to conserve water and proper practices that we should follow in our daily life. But I must confess. When I washed hands with soap in the morning, the tap used to remain open while I scrubbed my hands. After this trip, it is difficult to do so.

While walking in Mizoram from Sailam to Melriat, about two weeks ago, we came across an extraordinary spirit of water conservation. Every single house in smaller villages had a rooftop water conservation mechanism. The streets were extremely clean with dustbins every 50 or 100 yards. Even in the evening, one could not see any sign of trash on the roads.

The drains were clean too. But while absorbing all this cleanliness and conservation spirit, we came across an interesting sight. There was a tap from which a few drops were dripping. This will be quite a common sight at most places and one could easily see a water pool below or around the water point. Here was an inspiring sight. There was small channel put below the tap (see figure) which collected these drops and diverted them into a canister, thus saving them. There was no wastage of water at all. Shodhyatris were dumbstruck by this sight. Could a culture be so frugal when using water, they asked.

In the next village, I wanted a cup of water in the morning to take my herbal medicine. I went to the tap where there was already a bucket being filled by kitchen volunteers. When they saw me, they closed the tap, pulled the bucket away. They took the cup from my hand, opened the tap, filled it, closed the tap, and gave the cup back to me. The bucket was put under the tap again, which was then opened to fill the rest of it up.

What would I have done? Probably, I would have pulled the bucket away, filled the cup, and moved the bucket back, without closing the tap even once during the process. If some water would have flown waste, I might have ignored it. After this incident, I can't do so anymore.

I am of course conscious of the fact that water wastage is rampant in our society. What is more agonising is that even some of us who are aware, conscious and feel responsible have habits which are not benchmarked with the most exalted values and cultures. Can something be done about it? I don't know.

How did Mizoram do it? This culture was so ingrained among children and adults alike that nobody had to be told about this value. There were no slogans on the walls, no hoardings at all, no warning of punishment.

Can we make Mizoram water harvesting capital of India? Can people from Gujarat, Rajasthan get inspiration from the Mizos? Will leaders and adults listen or should children just break from the tradition of indifference towards these values?

The author is a professor at IIMA