By Anu Aga

In 1999, I happened to see a copy of the Fifth Citizens' Report on The State Of India's Environment brought out by the Centre for Science & Environment (CSE), New Delhi. The macro picture it presented was frightening and depressing. But the examples of grassroots-level initiatives at ''making a difference'' were heartening. I personally believe in the saying, ''It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.'' That is not to say that India's environmental burden can be taken lightly. Air, land, and water-resources in India are under severe abuse, and there is a lack of political, industrial, and social will to change the scenario.

I will restrict my observations and comments to water because this precious life-sustaining resource is under the greatest threat from pollution. Consider the following:

• In the 1990s, more than 1 million children died due to diarrhoea and other gastro-intestinal disorders. Since Independence, our neglect of water-sources has killed 50 million children. Are we talking of children, or flies, you might ask.

• Today, there are some 2,50,000 problem-villages in India, which do not have adequate or safe drinking water. To have 250,000 villages without potable water is a shame for any country that claims to be civilised.

• A study by the International Water Management Institute says India will be the country worst-hit by water-scarcity in the next 25 years. Experts predict the India's water-shortage can reduce harvests by as much as 25 per cent. It is also predicted that, in 2 decades, only 2 buckets of water per Indian will be available if no corrective action is taken soon. Are we taking any action?

• Today, packaged and branded water is available in packs of between 1 and 20 litres with a retail price ranging between Rs 5 and Rs 15 per litre. Who would have imagined 10 years ago that safe drinking water would have a price-tag and not be free from the tap?

I live in Pune on the banks of the river Mula-Mutha. Before my eyes, the river has gone from bad to worse over the years. It is stagnant; a breeding-ground for mosquitoes; and smells a little better than a sewer. And to think that people downstream drink this water is a terrible comment on our society's impervious ways. A couple of years ago Thermax commissioned the University of Pune (School of Health Sciences) to carry out a scientific survey of the 3 rivers that flow through Pune and the Pimpri-Chinchwad industrial townships.

The surve
y, once again, confirmed what the residents of Pune knew all along. The 3 rivers are dying because of the dumping of untreated domestic sewage, industrial effluents, and agricultural run-off into them. And also because there was not enough fresh water available for the dilution of the pollutants. I am not going into details of the survey, but the story of the 3 Pune rivers is the story of all the major rivers in India: they are dying. They are no longer the rivers of life, but rivers of sorrow, disease, and disenchantment.

''Most rivers in India are named after gods, goddesses, or saints. Yet, these rivers have been subjected to extreme abuse,'' said the report by the CSE. What an irony! So, what are we doing about these lifelines of the nation?

Dumping untreated industrial effluents into them?
Dumping untreated domestic sewage into them?
Dumping plastic and half-burnt bodies into them?

What is the solution? Legislation, or creating a guilt-complex are not long-term answers. We need to create awareness and bring about a change in the attitude of people. We need to involve people at the grassroots levels. We cannot afford to thoughtlessly keep on polluting our rivers and other water-resources and naively hope that Mother Nature will keep on replenishing her free bounty. If we don't, we are all in for a rude surprise in this millennium.

Industrial effluents are major pollutants of our rivers, and it is time that the corporate sector got its act together. For starters, they can get their creaking effluent treatment plants activated. For long, these plants served just 1 function: ward off the evil eye of the pollution control boards. Hiding behind these mandatory structures, several industrial units have become inured to the mess they create. The very presence of an effluent treatment plant was taken to signify environmental compliance irrespective of its operational state. This must change.

It makes perfect business sense for companies to minimise and manage waste. Treating and recycling wastewater from one's industrial facility is a profitable proposition. Especially so when water, like power, is getting costlier and scarcer by the day. If you add the cost of intangibles like freedom from legal hassles and community goodwill, the returns are phenomenal. A host of clean technologies are available for companies to choose from. It is possible today to treat pollutants or, better still, plan ahead for waste-minimisation at the source itself. Like the sleeping political will we often speak of, it is only a question of awakening our corporate souls.

The corporate sector's argument for most part of the previous century was that it pays taxes to the government; so, it was the government's responsibility to address issues related to pollution. But the truth is, the government has neither the financial resources nor the will to do so. What is more shocking is the observation made by P.C. Alexander, the Governor of Maharashtra, at a recent meeting that out of every rupee the government spends, only 15 per cent reaches where it is supposed to, and 85 per cent is frittered away on inefficiency and corruption. If this is the state of the affairs, we cannot expect the government to take up more river-cleaning projects which are doomed to failure. Instead, we should demand greater accountability and transparency in what they have already undertaken.

For years, the Pune Municipality has been collecting taxes for sewage treatment; yet, our rivers remain totally neglected. Can we, as concerned citizens, demand a greater accountability and transparency in channelising taxes where they are supposed to be used? We certainly can. We can also create lobbies where industrialists, NGOs, and associations like the Confederation of Indian Industry brainstorm and come up with sustainable action-plans to change this dismal scenario. Can't school-children be taught respect for the natural environment?

I am an optimist, and I am confident that things can change if a few of us shake of our lethargy and are determined to make a difference. (Don't forget, after all, this is the nation that produced Mahatma Gandhi.) When that happens, our rivers could be rivers of joy and beauty!

Anu Aga is the Chairperson of Thermax

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