“We have not inherited the world from our forefathers — we have borrowed it from our children.”
Two aware youngsters, Plaksha and Atharva, both Boulevard residents, share their concerns about their dreary future with rationed water and electricity supply. They urge their grown-ups to be mindful towards the limited resources that make our planet a blue one!
There was a time six to seven decades ago when the rivers were full of crystal-clear water; the forests were abundant with wonderful species of plants, animals, birds, butterflies; the glaciers were the ice caps, our reservoirs of pure water!
Today, we are facing water shortages and frequent outages! Are you leaving behind a dead planet for us youngsters? Don’t label me as a pessimist! Grown-ups, enjoy all the resources but judiciously, keeping our future in mind!
We too would need water to drink, bathe and grow our food! We too would require electricity to light our homes and streets! By being a bit mindful, we could all continue to live happily on this Blue Planet! A few steps that all of us can pledge to take to arrest the problem –
Don’t celebrate Diwali everyday by switching on all the houselights. Spend family time in the living room with one air conditioner on, rather than switching on four Air Conditioners (ACs) at a time in separate rooms. This will help in better bonds between family members!
Mop terraces and balconies, not waste water washing them. Avoid using the tub/ shower or letting the taps run while brushing our teeth. Use the AC water to water your plants and the RO refuse water to get the floors mopped!
The summertime is when this problem becomes acute as the demand for water and electricity skyrockets. The government has started promoting solar energy for a reason! Let’s do our bit now than be sorry later! This is Atharva’s plea to the Samvada readers!
Plaksha expresses her views about the diminishing non-renewable resources. She refers to the repeated saying: It is said that the third word war will not be fought for land but for water! Countries are already fighting over rivers. Now, it could be for just a pail or a glass of water?
One can live without food for a few days, but it is impossible to survive without water! Already, there are cities where drinking water is more expensive than petrol! Yet, people don’t stop wasting it! What will happen to children like me who will inherit this planet that has been plundered?
People say that they have the money to fit their house with ACs and to pay the electricity bills. Do they realise that they depend on resources, often non-renewable to provide them electricity? ~1,700 litres water is wasted by using just one AC in a month.
I admit that, because of the weather, we cannot avoid using ACs, but we can use them wisely and mindfully. Instead of running ACs in multiple rooms, we can be in one room and use a single air conditioner. This will save on electricity as well as water!
Water conservation is a shared responsibility that requires collective action and commitment from all. We do not have the luxury of wasting this liquid gold! All must pledge to conserve this resource for the future generations and ensure a more resilient and sustainable world with ample water to drink, bathe and grow our food!
Water is life, as they say. We need to give importance to it and continuously preserve & protect it, not only for ourselves now, but also for the next generation for them to enjoy the natural taste of water. I hope you will act now and pay heed to our plea so that my and future generations could have enough water to live on.
