For the past many years now, our leading newspapers have been filled with stories on droughts in different parts of India, especially in Maharashtra. This year the gravity of the situation compelled the Maharashtra state government to declare 11,962 villages in Vidarbha region as a drought affected area, taking the total number of villages to be declared drought-hit to 27,723. In the cities and urban areas, there is a constant shortage of water supply and it makes life of normal people miserable. Today, water scarcity is a common topic of discussion for the citizens of the state.
Water is an extremely needed element in the life of humans. I am reminded of an instance from the Bible, where water becomes a medium of God’s ways into the world. In the book of Exodus, we read the words of Yahweh to Moses, “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel (17: 6). This is an incident where God directly quenches the thirst of humanity. But it is necessary to understand the hidden fact, human beings are accepting and cooperating with the will of God.
Today God is talking to humanity through different people, but are we listening to to that voice? Safeguarding nature is easily the best means of improving the situation. The second encyclical of Pope Francis, Laudato Si (Praise Be to You) beautifully reminds us to take care of our own common home, our Mother Earth. Many of the government and non government organisations are working hard to prevent the situation from worsening. Lots of social media campaigns on “Save Water” are on.
All these initiatives will definitely help to bring down the dangerous situation of the present time only if we listen and cooperate, if we join hands and contribute in our own way, however small it may be, because even though the drought may not affect us directly today,can we confidently say that about tomorrow? How can we as responsible humans collectively contribute to bringing down this drought situation in the coming years? We need to open our eyes and act the right way and ensure that we leave behind for our future generations a decent quality of life with enough to eat and drink.
