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Kathmandu Thursday April 26, 2001 Baishakh 13, 2058.
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Without
water
Come summer time, and it’s the same old
painful story of water crisis. This plague dogs urbanites throughout the year, only it
becomes unbearable in summer. Despite the billions pumped in to keep the water pipes
running, water is still luxurious here. Even as the authorities and experts debate
endlessly when and what ambitious water project could be ushered in to ensure clean and
round-the-clock water in taps, Valley residents continue to struggle for a bucketful of
water. Such is the plight of citizens of the world’s second water-richest country
after Brazil. As things stand now, the much-hyped and much longed for Melamchi drinking
water project remains as illusive as ever for consumers and a subject of tall talk by
bigwigs. The completion of the project is now not expected till 2007, and even that could
be uncertain because of Maoist activity.
Getting one’s water is indeed a messy
affair, and inefficient management makes it even messier. Our water management system is
riddled with chronic problems like leakage, wastage, poor inventory, high tariff and
irregular distribution. In their bid to acquire water, consumers resort to all sorts of
unscrupulous techniques that further intensify the war for water. Except for die-hard
followers of Darwinism, almost every household has been stung by this water crunch. The
ordeal of a Nepali household starts from dawn and lasts indefinitely. Housewives,
teachers, students, labourers stand in endless queues to have their buckets and jerry-cans
filled. In this hectic age of competition, the water famine eats away their time and
energy.
Water is scarce all right. But what is more
exasperating still is that the Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC), the state monopoly,
releases the water at odd and inconvenient hours, and without any notice. NWSC’s
whims dictate our daily ritual and routine. Such irresponsibility makes life more
difficult, especially for those at subsistence level. When it comes to fulfilling basic
necessities, the ball is naturally in the government’s court. We do have modest
expectations of a democratically elected regime which is supposed to care for public well
being. But so far, nothing worth mentioning has been done to tackle the crisis. Ask any
government authority and he or she will pass the buck. The buck does not seem to stop
anywhere. If the government cannot provide adequate piped water, how can people expect it
to cope on more challenging fronts?
It has been almost a decade since the high and
mighty fed us promises of clean, adequate water supply, but the situation has only
worsened. Instead of harping on the still distant Melamchi, it’s high time the
government, and indeed the public too, turned their energies and ingenuity to cost
effective and reliable alternatives. We have had enough of time-consuming, expensive
studies that failed to deliver. We should not be putting all our eggs in one basket. This
time too, the water crisis looms menacingly and the Koirala government appears to treat it
with disdain. All we want is water, and more water. Is that asking for too much?
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