The PHE minister took a personal round of visits at various water supply schemes along with the media. It is commendable that the minister rose up to the occasion, in wake of the present crisis of water scarcity that the people are currently facing in the state. He has given assurance that if the need arise, water from Loktak will be treated and rationed. Iril and Imphal rivers are two important sources of water. Most of the water supply schemes that supply water to the greater Imphal areas depend on these two rivers. The two rivers, at present, are running alarmingly at a low level. At some areas these rivers have been reduced to streamlets. With no rainfall during the expected season, the scarcity is bound to hit an all-time low. Paddy fields and fish farms without water are parched with visible cracks on its bed. If there is no rainfall at all, the most badly hit would be the farmers. Our staple crop which depends on wet cultivation will be another scarcity. Without the rain, there is no way out. The minister himself took cognizance of the fact during his visits to the water supply schemes. But on a positive note, he had made it public that the government has contingency plan. A series of meeting have been conducted on the matter, as we have been told. Here, may we remind the honourable minister of his claim that he made, during the third day of the seventh session of the 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly? The minister claimed that the State will get enough drinking water supply in the next one or two years. ‘Rain’, the word must have been beyond the purview of the minister’s thought process at that time. The present dry spell has reminded him. How about the idea of treating the water from Loktak? Needless to say, the water in Loktak is also fed by rain; by the rivers that flow into it, when it is filled with rain water. Whenever there is a dry season, we can’t escape the fond memories of the then CM of Manipur: late Oja Nipamacha. The late Oja, during his tenure made an attempt to please the rain Gods. He took a number of cows to the Govinda temple at Palace Compund, to perform rituals by milking the cows. We are not asking the PHE minister to perform the same ritual like Oja Nipamacha. Our modest appeal is that the minister should not make overstatements sans verifiable logics. By all account, the water level at the Loktak must be low owing to the dry spell. The fact that the state has been facing water scarcity needs no validation. When was it that the people have not faced such scarcity? In fact, the scarcity has been a problem that we face daily, the whole year. Whether there is enough rainfall or not, we have been facing water crisis, both for consumption and irrigation. Mismanagement of water is one primary reason. The fact that 14 water treatment plants of the State are lying defunct is also a statement that the minister made on the floor of the Assembly. One cannot overlook the factor of rainfall, water being a natural source. We, however, back the sensible proposal of the minister that there is a need for an inter-departmental effort to solve the water problem. It will include the IFCD and the Forest department for an all-out effort as a team. This is very much welcome. Other measures like regulating the tax, monitoring pilfering along the water pipelines by the public, checking on the private suppliers; these are all mandatory. Now is the time to act. We need concrete action. Do not diminish resolving of water scarcity problem into an election manifesto like promise. We have had enough of it.
Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/04/the-time-to-act-is-now/