Water !!

That's the thought which always crosses my mind whenever I see a new housing complex coming up. After all, there is not much new land in Mumbai on which a new housing complex is coming up. So the only way is to re-develop old buildings.

Mostly, in the city of Mumbai, the old buildings vary from 2 to 5 floors in height having a maximum of 2 families on each floor. The old buildings go for re-development and the new buildings which come up, are usually sky scrapers ranging from 10 to 35 floors, depending upon the clout which the particular builder enjoys. Most of the ventures are given the go ahead by the authorities.

But is due diligence done while passing these projects?

Proper area for parking, roads for the new vehicles, electricity load, gas pipelines, etc. are all things which can be provided. If not provided or if these things are scanty, still people can manage.

But what about water?

Are proper arrangements made for ensuring water availability? After all, Mumbai has finite water bodies for its infinite citizens. This limits the water supply per household. At the same time, the water has to be brought through pipelines from the water bodies situated at a great distance from the city, to each city suburb.

In the old city of Mumbai, these pipelines are from the British era. Though the British were certainly far sighted, even they could not have imagined the current scenario. If previously, 6 to 8 families occupied a piece of land, now the same piece of land is occupied by almost 100 odd families.

In the past, wars were fought for land, currently wars are fought for so-called religion or oil but in future, wars will be fought over water. Water, especially drinkable water has a expiry date, what with global warming causing the fast melting of  glaciers. This water is emptying itself into the vast oceans, all across the globe. One day, the current rivers are bound to trickle off.

And the only water remaining, will be ocean water. Hence the race across the world to find ways to convert the saline ocean water to potable water. But this is easier said than done. Currently the technology exists but which is too expensive. And humans don't help matters by considering the oceans as one vast dumping ground for all waste and chemicals.

Hence the rush to find cheaper means to achieve this. Recently I saw on the internet, an invention to convert the water present in the air, to potable water by condensation process. Such initiatives should be supported by all, especially the corporates and governments.

A future scenario plays before my eyes - all cities near the sea are under water, people rushing from one place to another by speed boats but not a drop to drink. Potable water is bought by the people for the current price of oil and the biggest corporates and strongest countries are those that control the few sources of potable water!!

Yatindra Tawde