THE ISSUE of economic prosperity is now deeply linked with the concept of social justice. Irrational ‘exclusion’ and ‘inclusion’ of certain sections of a society inversely affect the process of social justice.
Noted economist and Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen and others have strongly voiced for development policies relating to social justice along with logical exclusion and inclusion. Access to pure drinking water, food, health care, education and a decent livelihood are few of the deciding parameters of social justice.
The policy makers are now at least recognizing the importance of social justice for sustainable and equitable growth of the country and working on it. One of the main problems that the ethnic people are facing is drinking water crisis. During summer and winter, the crisis becomes intolerable. Several stomach related diseases affect forest dwellers including children during these periods. The magnitude of this problem is so high that it needs to be solved immediately.
Persistent Potable Water Crisis: In Tripura, forest dwellers are facing water crisis problem for a long time. Tripura Tribal Area Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) has ineffectively tried to solve it by setting up water treatment plants where source of water is either a river or a rivulet. However, with the onset of summer, sources of water become dry leaving the plants non-functional.
TTAADC officials have so far failed to provide potable water to majority of indigenous people. Further, many plants become non-functional due to mechanical problems and there is hardly anyone to fix it. Illiterate ethnic people do not know whom to address and how to address to fix such mechanical faults. No doubt, social justice is violated and even poor babies are forced to drink impure water. It is easy to pass on the blame to political parties.
However, that will not solve the problem. We need to look at the situation pragmatically. Ground water level is going down and all the major rivers, rivulets, and stream become dry every year during summer and winter. As the source of water is drying up, we have to check other alternative ways to solve the water crisis. Tripura receives sufficient rainfall. Can we not think about rainwater harvesting?
If we become little more innovative and enthusiastic, we can do it in a big way, no doubt. Rainwater harvesting is an ancient art, which is relevant even today. In India, several states have successfully solved water crisis problem using this simple but effective method. In Tripura also rainwater harvesting is not a new concept.
However, certainly it is a least used method. We need to make it most used method to solve the potable water crisis problem permanently. Rainwater harvesting method is not a complicated issue. Community members, after a brief training, will be able to collect the rainwater and purify it properly.
Does it sound too philosophical? Maybe yes, we have seen the result of traditional thinking for more than 60 years after independence. Now we may look at things differently. Of course, Government/TTADC will have to do the needful to implement water-harvesting project in the state. Once the project becomes operative, chances of corruption or intervention of political parties will be drastically minimized.
Harvested water can be stored for future use in overhead tanks or underground tanks. However, to implement this method, we need a wholehearted drive to aware people including the politicians about the utility and viability of this project. Big players of the corporate sector cannot turn a blind eye on the burning issues of the state.
Intellectuals, irrespective of ethnic identity, must lead from the front. With the joint efforts from the intellectuals and corporate sectors, this project is bound to be successful. If we can visualize the face of an innocent baby, who is drinking impure water and suffering from stomach problems, we must be able to crush this gross social injustice today or tomorrow. We cannot just sit and criticise the government officials for their irresponsible attitudes. We have to make these poor and helpless illiterate tribal communities aware about their rights.
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