Thousands have lived without love, not one without water

M Asnikumar Singh *

In the milieu of the global climate and water crisis that we face today; about one-fourth of the global population (2.2 billion people) still lack access to safe water. By 2050, global water needs are likely to increase by more than 50 per cent. It is common knowledge that forests, wetlands, and grasslands provide valuable ecosystem services for water.

They act as a natural protector, filter sources of water, regulate water flow and most importantly, protect communities from water-related disasters. But the sad thing is these ecosystems are under severe threat : 420 million hectares of forest have been deforested globally since 1990, and 87 per cent of wetlands have been lost since 1700.

Such alarming figures clearly indicate that we have reached a point where little to no action will undoubtedly result in disaster for all humanity ‘World Water Day’ this year, with its theme 'Accelerating Change' focuses on the pressing need to solve the global water and sanitation crisis, which is also one of the Sustainable Development Goals (Water and Sanitation for All) to be achieved by 2030.

India's water vision 2047 : Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's address at the All India Annual State Ministers’ conference on water shed light on the Indian Government's efforts to chalk out India's comprehensive roadmap/water vision for the next 25 years. This is a component of the larger India@2047 plan. Some highlights of the Prime Minister's address at the conference include:

1. States need to adopt the Centre's Namami Gange Mission as a template to commence similar initiatives for river conservation. The action plan of the mission includes widespread public involvement in water conservation campaigns. The hon'ble PM cited the highly successful and game-changing Swachh Bharat Abhiyan as a precedent for the same. A crucial component of the Namami Gange Mission involves steps to set up organic and natural farming corridors along the river Ganga. This has high feasibility to be replicated at the state level.

2. Emphasis on natural farming : The positive consequences of water conservation in areas where natural farming has been practised are widely seen now. Natural farming could be key to revolutionising Indian agriculture. Although the need to analyse its challenges is ever present, we cannot deny its enormous potential as an eco-friendly route towards farming that does not compromise on the needs of future generations.

The use of techniques such as crop rotation, intercropping and composting have been proven to enhance soil health and assist crop growth. Moreover, natural farming methods as they are often derived from traditional sources of knowledge can always be moulded to suit specific/unique local conditions. Crucially, the most identifiable advantage of this method is the reduction in water pollution.

3. Per Drop More Drop Campaign: It began under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana under which more than 70 lakh hectares of land in the country have been brought under micro irrigation. Moreover, the extension of the outlay of Rs 93,068 crore for the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana till 2026 is a marker of the Indian Government's concern and desire to ensure a successful Nationwide implementation of the programme.

Also, the Hon'ble PM's Arth Ganga Concept constitutes an important chunk of the overall vision for the conservation and Rejuvenation of rivers. Some pillars of the Arth Ganga Concept include: a) zero-budget natural farming i.e chemical-free farming on 10km on either side of the river. b)livelihood opportunities, by creating haats where people can sell local products c)Aims to enhance public participation through an increase in cooperation and coordination among all stakeholders.

A Statewide community participation programme based on Hon'ble PM's Arth Ganga model has huge potential to be implemented successfully in Manipur with its local craftsmanship which is rapidly gaining popularity beyond domestic confines (especially its Handloom, bamboo products) and emphasis on community participation (with women at the forefront). In many parts of the world, indigenous and local communities are leading the way in implementing nature-based solutions to solve the triple water, biodiversity and climate crises.

In the context of Manipur, we ought to find it baffling that a State like ours with abundant rainfall and forest cover has been facing water-related problems for the last many decades. This development can be attributed to many factors. Still, the most visible one is the mismanagement of the State's water resources, a sort of 'irresponsible water governance' for over a decade by the Governments at the turn of the century.

Our State's water security status has seen a drastic fall due to unchecked deforestation, 'jhum' cultivation and most alarmingly a failure to formulate, and adopt a pragmatic and sustainable groundwater harvesting policy at the turn of the century (the early 2000s) by previous Governments.

The situation has reached an alarming point now. The culture of filling up water bodies in the name of development activities ought to be ceased once and for all. A certain vision can only make a difference up to a certain point. How far a vision will succeed depends upon how much it induces others to act on it. This is where we, the people of this beautiful State, come into the picture.

God has blessed us abundantly with every possible natural resource one could ask for. Still, if we do not respect or appreciate these resources (through our attitude and actions), at some point shortly, we and our future generations are bound to pay the price, which might end up becoming too high a price to pay.

Keeping this year's World Water Day theme "Accelerating Change"–in mind, it is high time we cooperate and act collectively as responsible, environmentally conscious and spirited stakeholders to address the ongoing water crisis with a focus on solving sanitation issues.