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On the occasion of World Water Day, advisor of Water Resources for Nagaland government, Namri Nchang lamented that water, which was once considered a natural and renewal resource, has become a scarce commodity almost everywhere in the state. He went on to say that climate change disrupts the water cycle and precipitation, making it unsuitable for both the living species and human to consume due to degradation of its sources like rivers, lakes, ground water basin and others. Well, water crisis is not new to Kohima, and the situation is not different in Dimapur and other towns. In fact, even remote villages that once boasted of good water source, have started facing fresh water shortage. The situation is ominous in other parts of the state and the country as well, and it not getting any better. Poor distribution of rainfall, drying of water bodies caused by climate change and lack of proper management of available water have compounded the crisis. The state may have enough green cover, compared with many Indian states, but extensive deforestation, jhum cultivation practice, poor water resource management, lack of storage facility etc. have not only caused water scarcity in the state but also degraded water quality. Experts had warned that groundwater in places like Dimapur is depleting quickly and contaminated. This growing crisis caused by rapid urbanisation will make cities and towns unliveable in a few years’ time if corrective measures are not taken up on war footing.
Well, water crisis in Nagaland is not an isolated case. In fact, it is relatively better off compared to several other Indian cities and states. It is reported that more than 50 percent of the population in India doesn’t have access to safe drinking water and about majority of rural households do not have piped water supply, which has led to sanitation problem. The government of India is doing its best to mitigate this growing crisis through various schemes, including the Jal Jeevan Mission which had reportedly covered millions of families, but that’s not enough to solve the issue. It can’t be solved by bore wells, retail bottled water or water pumps. Community involvement and concerted effort from the Centre and state governments is required to address it. The citizens should be sentitised about the need to use of water judiciously. Planned programmes like rainwater harvesting, construction of farm ponds for storage of monsoon runoff and recharging of ground water, minimising wastage of water, good water resource management and distribution system, plantation of trees etc. should be taken up to lessen the crisis. If concrete measures are not taken up to mitigate water issue today, the consequences on economy, ecology and health will be huge.