Desperate times

The outside temperature yesterday in Vellore was 43.7 degrees centigrade. That's right. 43.7 and we are only in April!!!!! Its scaring the sleep out of everyone to hazard a guess as to what May and June have in store. Add to the sweltering unforgiving raw white heat, comes water shortage. Is this the city that was drowning in a deluge of rain water few months back!! Almost all the wells in our area, that was one of the worst affected have gone bone dry. There is not even an inkling of water nor even any remote evidence for its presence on any of its wells that resemble those huge water pipes, left to rot on the pavements by our water board, in vertical position. The icing or rather the hot chocolate lava topping on the scenario would be power cuts during night times. The sheer humidifying raw heat that permeates the surroundings is maddening. And to think that the worst is yet to come..!!

Be scared. Be very very scared. Whenever i read about doomsday scenario of water shortage in 100 years time, my mental arithmetic always consoled me with the fact that, i wouldn't be alive then, so why bother!! Yup. Its embarrassing to spell it out. But that's the truth. Now that it has hit hard where it hurts, its hauntingly scary to imagine coming days. What whipped the frenzy was to see advice notifications from government asking people not to venture out in afternoon, due to foul weather. Hot sun was NEVER ever classified as foul weather, to my peanut brained knowledge, at least not in the cities. Again, it shows the callous attitude till date towards this ever increasing threat phenomenon till it started knocking on doors and yeah, i am beating myself with that fact. The sci-fi english flicks, which shows people in future venturing out only in night times to do their business on desert like setup that were created due to solar flares are fast becoming realities now.

This year, since March, every single day has been hotter than previous date and is in running for record to be hottest ever year till date, which many bet would stand to be broken next year. For a person who comfortably sits in A/c office and types blog posts, it may not sound sincere. It really pains to see anyone walking bare feet on road for even to take the dried clothes from the line, its hard to stand for a few minutes without sandals. Another health issue that is about to set the scales even for the A/c comforted corporate folks as against those who slog under the sweltering sun is that, as much it provides relief it screws up the health big time with the temperature mismatch inside and outside office.

As an individual, as much as working out options to protect my near and dear from inclement situation is the immediate priority, as a human being residing in this planet for past three decades and above everything as a parent who would be leaving behind his kid on this very same planet in some time down the line, the immediate priority prolongs into future as well. Should one blame the governments of the world for inaction? Or are they already aware of all this and taking any action? Rather than spending billions, searching for intelligent life forms in outer space, wouldn't it be prudent to look for ways to secure the planet we are assured for ourselves? Even if there is another planet that is inhabitable, how in the world one shifts so many people to another world, literally!!!

Given a choice, i would want to encourage some serious research into identifying alternate for drinking water. If one spends a little bit of all those efforts that goes into finding replacement for petrol, diesel and coal driven energy into finding how to replenish the demand for water which is fast becoming a commodity scarcer than the crude oil, we may even have some hope for the future. Have made it a point to share as many documents as available online in social media to spread not just awareness, but on ways in which we can keep our homes cool and protect our water reserves.

The time is nigh when people start realizing that even with increased earnings, there are certain things that can never become unaffordable. Was shocked to read the news sometime back that Bangalore, the supposedly cooler city as compared to Chennai atleast, is now hotter than Chennai. Brought back memories of post rain travel in Bangalore, where even a slight drizzle will cool the city so much that it would be such a refreshing feeling to walk out aimlessly on roads, enjoying the slight shower. When i last went back there, the famous Wind Tunnel road was devoid of trees in entirety!!! It was a shocker to see the stretch barren. Does development means, wider roads that makes people travel faster to earn more money only to loose out on precious things provided free by nature?!! Time to seriously rethink on the priorities of life.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Tough times ahead, real tough times, the one good thing Amma attempted was rain water harvesting, if proper initiative for solar power generation is initiated it will help.
gils said…
Using the power for different means is fine..but how are we going to manage to survive in this kind of weather!!!
Asha said…
so true gils...everybody has money power today and is more interested in leaving a fat bank balance for their kids, or buying branded toys or on taking for foreign vacation...nobody seems bothered about the depletion of natural resources.

Everyday, when i fill my son's water bottle with aquaguard water for school, i think of the extratime i spend on filling this and the amount i invested in the setup. 3o years back, i went without water bottle and drank directly from tap in school. so what development are we talking about?

Still there are atleast people like you and me who think about environmental degradation. Many people dont care and would definitely be thinking about the next model of phone to buy or gadget or branded clothing? Time for everyone of us to undo the damage and save whatever is left of the natural resources and heal the earth...else gennext may have no air to breathe and wwater to drink. for this, we should'nt bank on the government alone and we start healing in our own little ways.
gils said…
enna paranthunu therialaye...terinja wl definitely do..whatever the need be
Ramesh said…
Yes, water is the most significant resource that has been depleted and water wars are going to be a feature of the very near future. Forget 100 years Gilsu, we'll have these fights even before you graduate from "valiban" status ! Bangalore will have to be evacuated in 20 or 30 years - writing on the wall.

We don't even need to do research. Simply conserve the water that the rains bring. Rain water harvesting with a vengeance Don't build IT parks on lakes. Price water sensibly so that people don't waste it assuming its free. Build the national river grid, much talked about for a long time so that water can be moved from where it rains heavily to where there is drought. So on so on. But we don't vote leaders who will solve the water crisis. We vote the fat lady, or the senile old man.
gils said…
sokka thanga sorkal soneergal thala...ithelam eduthu nadatha oru pakka planning ulla oru "thala"ivar thevai...adutha aatchi ungaludaiyaathagattum...vote for thalai

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