Water is one of the building blocks of life -- as such, it is a basic human right.
Which is why it becomes a matter of great concern when people are deprived of water for long periods of time within any given municipality.
And that is exactly what locals in Rampura have been going through for almost three weeks.
Compounded by the blistering summer heat and the holy month of Ramadan, residents of Rampura’s Mokki area have been subsisting without water supply for days, and, despite complaints and protests, have had very little in the way of the supply being restored.
Unfortunately, this is not a new problem.
Water issues are commonplace within our cities, not limited to issues related to its supply but also with its undrinkability. And Wasa is at the centre of all these issues.
The organization recently got into hot water for its ignorant comments regarding the quality of the water it supplies, and the relative silence it has exhibited regarding the water situation in Mokki only further proves that they need to be held accountable for its actions, or inaction in this case.
Water supply has always been an issue for our country, and the ad hoc measures that have been taken up in the last few years are simply unsustainable.
We need long-term plans to ensure clean, drinkable water for each and every citizen -- plans towards updating our existing treatment technology and cutting down water waste, for example.
For too long have we abused our water resources, rendering our rivers and other water bodies completely polluted in the process.
This practice needs to stop, but not at the expense of people being deprived of water.
We need a better solution.
