The dying water bodies
Gowher Ahmad Bhat
There was a time when water from the streams and springs was thought to be of highest degree of purity and was the only source of water. Water from the streams and springs was used for bathing, washing and cleaning.
When there were no taps available, water from such streams was even used for drinking and cooking. The water streams were thought to be blessing as being easily available and accessible. The water streams presented s beautiful look and would bless life to the dying. A hustle and bustle was seen near the banks of streams and near the springs. The banks were clean enough so that people would sit and wait for their turn.
With the passage of time the evil came to fore, insensitive and irresponsible people started polluting the water streams. The runoff from households was thrown into the streams, ponds and rivers. Not only was this but the exit of latrines and animal-sheds also opened into water bodies.
Slowly the water streams turned dumping sites for garbage. The water streams became dustbin of sullage from homes, diapers, polythene, plastic, excreta of animals, and litter from markets and sewage from mills.
The excessive use of poisonous pesticides in the apple orchards and their simultaneous escape into the water bodies were it can serve as nutrients for the harmful weeds resulting in the bloom growth which in-turn leads to the choking of the streams. It also adversely affected the aquatic life which is essential for keeping the water streams clean. The water which once could cool the body in warm temperatures may result in incurable diseases if used now.
An accumulation of the non-biodegradable substances resulted in shrinking of the water streams to an alarming level. Not only the water quality dropped to a low level in the dying water streams but it also shrunk the dimensions of the streams. A number of water streams have either perished or are about to vanish soon in the near future. There are certain water streams that are now only available on maps now or old people would tell that there was once a water stream or spring. Ponds that were earlier used for agricultural purposes have decimated.
Another reason for the shrinking of the water streams and springs is the encroachment of these by vested interests and their exploitation by the greedy and ill designed people. The banks of many water streams have continuously been encroached and trees are planted and subsequent soil fillings are done for the want of more land. In many instances the encroached land by advancement towards the water streams have been used for residential as well as commercial manipulations.
Thousands of Illegal constructions have taken place on the banks of the water bodies and there seems no end to it there by posing a great threat to their very existence. Social consciousness is dying along with the dying water streams. In certain areas the shape and structure of water streams have been disfigured by the encroachers to such a level that one fails to identity them with fairness.
The greed has gone to such a level that concrete flooring has been made over the water streams to facilitate construction of commercial and residential buildings and the water streams are seen flowing beneath them.
The shrinking of water streams and their shallowness have posed a great danger to the low lying areas and the people living on the banks of water bodies. The water streams have been filled with the muck to such a level that their shallowness and the banks are flatten and are hence unrecognizable.
When there occurs a rain of even an hour the streams get filled with water and present a flood like situation. It worth to mention here that the water stream which once could not get filled even after a rain of twelve hours are now getting flooded with a rain of few minutes.
This immediate flooding is resulting in the damage of crops worth of crores and houses in the low lying and flood prone areas which earlier was not the case. The shrinking and encroachment of water bodies have already caused a great damage to property and thousands of people have suffered in the devastating floods of 2014.
Under such circumstances the need of the hour is to wake-up and save the water bodies especially the water streams from shrinking and perishing. Massive dredging programs are required for every water stream to restore their original shape and structure. The cleaning campaign must be carried out on war footing basis and the work be given an administrative mission status.
The program must be constantly monitored with weekly progress monitoring. Demarcation of the water streams and springs must be carried out by the revenue department and encroached land and portions must be retrieved on priority. Effective mechanism should be put into place so that the water bodies don’t become dumping sites for garbage and sullage.
Awareness programs must be launched so that people are educated about the importance of water bodies and their essentiality. People must shoulder the responsibility and behave as conscious members of the society for not misusing the water bodies for personal interests. A fast track process must be put into effect for clearing the trees on the banks of the water streams and rivers as already directed by the honourable high court of Jammu and Kashmir.
Tail piece: A blessing if not properly managed and preserved can turn monstrous and threaten lives as such we must wake up before it is too late for restoring the original and actual structure of the water bodies especially the streams, ponds and rivers and make every possible effort so that these are not exploited for mere personal greed and interests and are prevented from used as dumping sites, if we don’t, time will come were a more powerful flood than 2014 facing choked way and having no way to escape, may sweep over residential areas even in the no flood areas and result in massive destruction both to property and human life.
(The author is a teacher and core member JKGLTF)
