The new catchy slogan is another floater in line Swach Bharat has not taken off to the extent desired.It is irony when scientist are searching for traces of water on moon , here in India the population has no access to clean, safe drinking water. Half the waking life of many Indian women folks is spent on hauling water over long distances The depletion of forest cover was attributed to lack of rain Now what explains deluge of water all over including India .Water is a basic necessity along with housings but too long it has been ignored over decades after independence Saving treated water from waste is reasonable step to be considered Non treated water is an alternative that has to be seriously explored Harvesting water is a part of solution though it will come at a cost and space constrain .The Panchayat’s are to create awareness and that’s it, In villages ponds ,lakes ,wells , reservoirs rivers, bunds are natural ways to harvest rain water and also prevent flooding. The use of this water for agricultural purposes is sole purpose .The agriculture productions is in decline due to various reasons ,primarily labour that is too expensive This storage charges ground water levels . Keeps area moist for cultivation,The tap water has led to disuse and neglect of traditional wells . Huge dams Sumps and water ponds in some states serve an useful purpose.The enthusiastic plantation drives help to arrest water to a large extent, but the depletion of forests for various reasons of greed by politicians negate the outcomes .Those who can afford rain water harvesting must be encouraged to use rain water to the extent possible for washing , gardening , cooking , cleaning etc and thereby contribute towards water conservation for human use Already states are fighting wars over sharing of river waters flowing through their boundaries .It is said that 90 percent of water is saline , 2.5 percent is frozen, but melting due to climate change is disastrous and the rest 0.5 percent is to be used by humans More than consciencetising ,means must be devised on war footing to prevent flow into oceans .desalination is very costly .There is no progress , growth development of Nation if citizens have no access to hygienic , drinking water otherwise the cost to Nation of water borne diseases is enormous Water is a scarce natural resource and must be preserved for generations to come, as water is source of all animal and plant life . Unfortunately most of the treated water is enjoyed by a minuscule minority of rich And affluent When will pipe water be a reality or will it be only yet another political slogan of piped dream Most of well meaning slogans have remained half hearted slogans at best Nelson Lopes Chinchinim
