The Walk

It was hot summer day. The tar was burning up her feet. That didn’t stop the 14 year old. She kept on with her pace.

“I wonder if my friends have already come to the play ground?” She thought. She picked up her speed. A drop of sweat rolled down her tiny face. She wiped it off with her shoulder as her hands were full. She still had 2 more kilometers to go. “I hope they don’t forget the skipping rope like they did yesterday” she thought. She was almost running now.

Finally… she was there. She started emptying her hands.

• A small vessel.
• A dirty rag.
• A muslin cloth.
• And 2 huge pots. 

She was not there to play with her friends, but to fetch to water.

She filled one the pots with the murky river water. She then moves to a small puddle next to the river bank. It was a small hole around 2 feet wide and 3 feet deep. The stones and river sand creates a natural filter making this water a little drinkable. She lays the muslin cloth over the pot to filter it further. Using the small vessel, she collected water from the puddle and poured it into the pot. It was big pot and very small vessel.

Thinking about her friends waiting, she hurried. The burning sun was only getting hotter. Half hour later when the pot was finally full; she picked up her 2 pots.

She lifted the first pot with all her might, over her shoulder and then over the rag on her head. She then carefully balanced and pulled up the second pot. This one sat on her small hips.

She was 4 feet tall with tiny shoulders. The pots each held up to 12 liters of water. She now started the long journey back to her house. The burning sun was not her friend today. Each step on the way back got harder because of the load. However, each time she took a step a bit of the water split over her head; cooling her.

She reached home. She poured the first pot of murky water into the large tank in the bathroom. It looked almost full. She poured the second pot into a bigger pot in the kitchen. She thought it would also be full and she can go play now. But, it was not even half full.

Her heart sank! She had to do this at least 3 more times.

This is not story of girl from Africa or Rajasthan or any other desert.

This is the story of Meenkashi Ponnuswamy. My cousin sister from small village in Tamil Nadu. 

 I have seen and walked along with my sister when she fetches water from the rivers. I have never been able to carry the pots or walk more than 1 round to the river with her. Seeing her fill that pot with puddle water with that small vessel changed me forever. After this. I have never been able to take the clean water I readily get from the taps in my house for granted.

Till today a bucket over-flowing in the bathroom, an open tap while brushing or washing vessels haunts me and takes me back to that sunny day. 

We have been taught not to waste, but save. Save for our children. Save for our grandchildren.

But, in the last couple of decades we have wasted water at such an exponential level; that we now cannot look at saving water for our children, but for our very selves. 

Water crisis in NOT a future problem; it’s a problem of TODAY.

We need to stop looking at the world as half full, but as half empty.

We will face water shortage in our cities.

Cape Town is in the unenviable situation of being the first major city in the modern era to face the threat of running out of drinking water.

In 5yr Bengaluru is predicted to be run out of water.

S?o Paulo, Beijing, Cairo, Moscow, Istanbul, London, Miami, Tokyo all are predicted to face water scarcity.

This is NOT the time to just talk, BUT TO DO

It’s all starts at home

• Let’s make a list all the things we use water in our homes.
• Identify where we are over using the water.
• Find an alternative.

Small things done consistently, will CHANGE THE WORLD.

•  Close that tap that’s over flowing while brushing/ cleaning.
• Re-use the water wasted due to RO purifier for washing/ gardening.
• Turn off that shower. Replace it with a bucket.
• That half a glass of left over water. Don’t spill that. There is nothing called over-hydration.

UNICEF says “Water should not be a privilege, it’s a right”. Let’s not abuse that right.

Today,

• 1 liter Distilled water cost 5 INR.
• 1 liter Mineral water costs 20 INR.
• 1 liter Sparkling water cost 700 INR
• 1 liter of your Future water could cost you 10 Kilometers.

Wake up, SAVE WATER; else we will be WALKING for it.