Vision of Life; by Sanjay: Water, Whose Baby Is It?

“Both the teardrop and the tempest are made of water, making it the most yielding and most destructive force on Earth.”
― Fiona Paul

Fiona Paul resides in the Midwest but travels a lot since she can’t breathe if she spends too much time away from the ocean. In addition to being a writer, she’s also worked as a line cook, retail manager, veterinary assistant, medical recruiter, English teacher, and registered nurse. Interesting career & no wonder she can write about water in such a wonderful way as she lives with water (near ocean) & of late water has been by the second most favourite subject for writing i.e., after wildlife! And just like wildlife water too is the most neglected subject by us, the so-called humans as we are cursed with a habit of taking things (read as nature) granted. The way we think about wildlife (forests & other species) rather doesn’t think is proper term but I am using it as taken granted so be it, that wildlife will survive at its own & we keep planning for humans only, same way we take water as granted i.e. we think we will keep on building our homes, factories, highways, schools, malls & many such & we think water will be available to us at our will & as per our need (read as greed)! And to justify that we say nearly 71% of earth’s surface is covered by water & just 29% is land area, so we are right but is this water useful for us, we never think! At the same time nearly 220 crore people doesn’t have even access for potable water is also a fact, that’s one fourth of total population of the world! With the speed our country is growing (in population) soon most of our countrymen will be from that one fourth portion of the world for sure, which is my subject of sharing!

Joke is, every year’s rainfall is the same which is a major source of our water need but what we are forgetting is population is increasing, our use is increasing & our planning to use the water 9read as conserve) the water is deteriorating fast, is my subject of sharing! And on top of it instead of doing right things to manage the water we are just pointing fingers at each other like “Mamacha Patra game” (please google it for this game details, all I will explain is, it’s a simple game of our childhood where everybody used to dodge the responsibility of possessing an imaginary letter but here the water is not imaginary & very much real & so is responsibility of everybody about its use & conservation too! *Disclaimer before reading ahead, please check long-forms’ I have used on Google as it's more frustrating to explain them every time (sarcasm)!

Interestingly, (read as frustratingly) I came across many news in recent where responsibility of supplying water to the projects (builder’s projects what else) has been dodged by the civic/public/planning authorities (call them anything, hardly matters) in & around Pune, means, PMRDA said, it won’t ask for the assurance of water supply while sanctioning the new project’s plans if the project comes under PMC/ PCMC jurisdiction but the projects which are beyond these limits will have to assured that they have their own water supply provision for the residents! PMC said only if in these locations (project’s) has got ongoing work of water supply grid then they will give NOC for water supply, that too depending on the work progress & such only four villages are there from the 34 villages which are now part of PMC. Fact is, PMC asks for undertaking from developers about water supply even if the project is very much in the old city limits. Same thing is for PCMC while sanctioning the projects. Going a step ahead, both the Municipal corporations don't even take responsibility for road or drainage water or in case STP (sewage Treatment plant) is there then what to do about excess treated water! About PMRDA, it has made DP which is in High Court for its validity but the part which has shown as residential even there they themselves won't give permissions for buildings unless the developer gives undertaking for water supply for the residents in such projects! And why I said frustratingly because, today I saw a full page advertise in newspapers which says our State is becoming water self sufficient with smiling faces of PM & CM & DCMs in the said advertise, while the reality is in Smart & Developed city like Pune no govt agency is taking responsibility of basic infrastructure like water supply!

On top of it, recently few learned leaders as well intellectuals of Pune city (there are many such) appealed to Hon CM of State not to allow new projects under the present revised development control rules, as it adds to the load of inadequate infrastructure of the city! Now this is tricky situation because if you refuse the appeal of these intellectuals of burden because of DC rules on infrastructure such as water then why the local bodies (PMC/PCMC/PMRDA) are asking for undertaking from the builders for water supply & if you accept that you are unable to supply the water for the new development then why are you sanctioning the new projects with added FSI as per these DC rules, right? And most importantly, why the Govt (read as CM & DCM) are dodging the question that whose responsibility is it, to provide the water to the residents of all the new projects as well the existing ones? As a businessman (read as builder) I check any land’s viability depending on its legal status, zone, proposed growth potential, possibility of consuming allowable FSI & expects that when I am paying to the local civic body its development charges then it’s that respective civic/public body’s responsibility only, to provide me basic infrastructure such as road, water, drainage, electricity & not at free of cost but govt charge me (read as residents) as per the consumption of water & power as well make me pay property tax for services such as road & drainage which people does pay! But when I go to get the sanction of plan of my project after buying such land then the local bodies tell me that they won’t be responsible for providing any infrastructure but force me to give undertaking that I will do all such, my question is what kind of business policies are these & more than that my clients also expect the same from me, as govt itself (read as PMC/PCMC) says so!

Guys, take example of electricity, all the flat holders pay for the use of electric supply they consume & when power is not there the in case of generator / inverter is required to use, does they ask to the builder to pay for the diesel of the generator or the batteries of inverter, I know the answer is no! Then how can the developer be responsible to pay water consumption charges for the water which is used by the residents, is my question? And if so, then where PMC is supplied by the local body that also the developer has to pay as only because PMC or PCMC can’t supply the water to the residents o the building which is their legal & moral responsibility, why the builder should take that responsibility, is my question & purpose of this sharing! And let’s keep apart all these whose responsibility but when any public body makes development plan of a locality, how they can do it & declare as residential or commercial zone without having any provision or planning for very basic thing as water, high time to ask this question to the govt by not just the builders but by all the citizens! Incidentally, when our rulers call for other big industries to start their business here, then do they take such undertaking of taking responsibility for water supply from MNCs like Mersedes or Toyota, is the question I want to ask here! And we all know the answer that rather the Govt gives assurance of water, drainage, road & electricity to these industries at subsidized rates then why the same law is not applied to real estate, as is this some illegal liquor we are making here, is the question I want to ask to the Govt!

I think what the govt must focus now on is creating water supply centres & for that first identify the source of water & then a network to distribute the same & make a deadline backed up project plan area wise for Pune region, publish it & then focus on conservation techniques, here I agree role of developer is important for conservation of supplied water! Dear Mai Baap Govt, these homes & the commercial premises with well backed infra is in actual an infra only for these all other industries you are welcoming as you may give water to make the cars but what you will do if the car making hands are thirsty, and then you all cry that industries are going to the other States & political foul-play in it, but what are we doing about the water, is what will decide fate of this State & not just pointing fingers at each other, is all I will say; adios with this warning!

Sanjay Deshpande

smd156812@gmail.com

Sanjeevani Dev.

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