Irony water is not on govt agenda

During the inconclusive heat spell that’s causing a grave water crisis in different parts of the country, there have been fistfights between people standing in serpentine queues at dry public water posts.

So far, the crisis hasn’t turned bloody. But with increasing global warming and depletion of forests and water resources, the day is not far when people would be at each other’s throats over water.

Bloody criminality is invariably related to corruption and paucity is the mother of corruption. It’s no wonder then that last year, global corruption watchdog Transparency International, for the first time, assessed the influence of corruption borne out of water, the basic and essential resource which is also a fundamental right of people all over the planet.

Nearly 1.2 billion people in the world do not have guaranteed access to water and over 2.6 billion are without sanitation. This has devastating consequences for development and poverty reduction, the mantra the Congress and its allies chanted to woo voters this general poll.

Water scarcity already affects every continent and by 2025, it is estimated that over 3 billion people could be living in water-stressed countries. NGO Watchdog feels in developing countries, about 80% of health problems can be linked to inadequate water and sanitation, claiming the lives of nearly 1.8 million children every year and leading to the loss of an estimated 443 million schooldays for children suffering from water-related ailments.

A study conducted in India four years ago suggested water was one of the public services most clearly identified with corrupt practices. Customer interaction with water departments was relatively low (12.3%), but the study found that the most common perceived malpractices were in supply of water tankers (73%), meter installation (71%), bill payment (43%), and new connections or restoration of water supply (67%). In other words, a “water mafia” thrives on the crisis in India. It is an irony that water doesn’t figure on the government’s 100-day agenda.