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The treasure called Water

I t is an age old story. Civilizations came to life on its tracks. And died with it too. For a substance as omnipresent as water, itwater-in-hand_4460x4460 is quite tragic the way we take it for granted.  Ancient times were understandable. We were just figuring out fire and what to eat to stay alive. However what’s the excuse today?  We know the value of water. Around 80% of the world does not have access to safe water. And every year, the amount of rainfall received all over the world must be many times over the requirement of all the living beings. It is illuminating, when we see hurricanes and floods happening in one season , only for the land to become parched as a desert in the immediate next season. Even now our farmers are chained to monsoons and a good monsoon can make all the difference between having a decent income for the year and sinking further in debt. Rains are so critical to our livelihood that it baffles the mind, when we realize that we have not really developed a sound strategy to manage it better. I mean , every year the Indian meteorological department comes out with a forecast for the rain which , frankly is no use, since they use such a wide range of accuracy . They veil their predictions so safely that it stays true, even if there is a surplus or if it is normal.

We have rainfall estimates for close to a century , surprisingly. It should be a child’s play to deduce the amount of rains that we get every year.  If every state of the country develops a plan to become water surplus using the available rain as a major contributor and using supplemental technologies like sea water purification or moisture capture from air,  we will go a long way towards ensuring that life as a whole is improved in the country.  May be even,  some of the interstate disputes for water can also be eliminated.  And life of a farmer becomes that much easier . Such a simple idea and so large a reward!

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