This has been described as the worst/hottest summer we have faced in decades. With no sign of the monsoon season approaching & lack of proper water supply, the city of Kochi as well as other places in Kerala face severe water shortage. There is a water-shutdown for 2 days (6th May & 7th May) and we have been advised by authorities to save water & use it judiciously next couple of days. At my in-laws place (in the middle of the city) they do not have a well... which means that the water tank is the ONLY storage possible. We hope they can survive for 2 days with what is left in the tank. At the apartment where I live with my wife, away from the city, surrounded by ample trees, we are facing an unexpected water shortage. Wells have dried up, tanker lorries that supply water in times of emergency have stopped as their companies have shut down and people (mis)using water at our residential area have resulted in daily water shutdown from 10 AM to 6 PM in my apartment. My best friend who owns a hotel chain in Kochi faced few hours of no water supply right in the middle of lunch time, their peak business hours. We have no idea when things are gonna be restored to normalcy... and we have no idea IF it'll remain normal hereafter. So.. Who is to blame?? No one but us. You, Me... Every single one of us. I don't think anyone (not just Kochiites but others in every city/town in India) can say we didn't see this coming. We have had enough & more warnings and we have brushed aside subtle as well as in-your-face awareness campaigns/posts like it didn't matter to us. Water shortage seemed like a problem faced by tribals in distant Africa, never something we'd have to face in Kerala- 'God's own country' right?? Sadly we have come to that point where we don't need written articles (like this one) or hoardings by NGOs to tell us we are in deep shit for what we did in the past. No point crying over spilled water now... You've already wasted as much water enough to provide the needy for a decade, cut down hundreds of trees to build houses, shopping malls and whatever in the name of progress and for a better TOMORROW!!! Tomorrow?? Really????? Funny isn't it?
Its sort of too late for us anyway... but never too late for the next generation. Save water, save trees, plant as many trees as you can, find ways to conserve water when there is rain and perhaps you'll leave a generation that would thank you from their heart for the 'little' good you did instead of cursing you for the mess you've created.
Take care. Make life worthwhile & meaningful. God bless!
