Wastage of water during celebrations and functions is an unfortunate truth. Grand arrangements are made to celebrate an occasion, and when it is time for the meal, you will not find a place to wash hands. However, you will undoubtedly find plastic water bottles. Starting from 200 ml to 2 liters, you will find the entire range of plastic water bottles displayed at the counter. Whoever needs water to wash hands picks up a bottle, pulls open the seal, uses some water to wash hands, and throws the remaining water and bottle into the trash. Not just in discard tubs or trash cans, you will find these partially used and discarded bottles all around you. This is the sight that meets the eyes wherever you go. It is saddening to see rampant wastage of drinking water like this. Can’t we correct this folly and prevent this colossal waste? Can’t we arrange for normal and clean water in tanks or jugs for washing hands?
This certainly is not an impossible task, but there are many reasons, some frightening ones too, why this seemingly possible thing is not possible. On one hand, drinking water is getting wasted, but there is mindless wastage of plastic bottles too. A bottle to wash hands, another to rinse the mouth, a third one to drink during the meal, a fourth, and a fifth probably to wash hands after the meal. Thus, it is customary to use 5-6 bottles of water per person. Plastic glasses and bottles are not only dangerous to the environment but also harmful to the person who is consuming it, which is why we must discourage their usage Today, we see the usage of bottled water being encouraged everywhere. There is no restriction on their use in any form. In fact, it is being looked upon as a matter of prestige to drink bottled water. Eating and drinking in use-and-throw utensils made of plastic or thermocol or aluminum foil is becoming a fashion statement. Each and every function sees the use of truckloads of this use-and-throw material, which at the end of the event, finds its way into a dangerous garbage pile. These materials are light-weight and hence get scattered all around the place. This garbage is a blemish to the beauty of our villages, towns, and in fact, to the entire planet. Not just in big cities, disposing of garbage safely is a serious problem even in small villages. In the name of some industrial and economic progress, consumerism is increasing at an alarming rate. ‘Use and throw’ culture is aggravating the problem further.
Is it not possible to use durable utensils made of metal or glass or earthenware instead of use and throw materials like plastic, thermocol, and aluminum foil? Is it not possible to use eco-friendly disposable plates and cups made with leaves and other natural stuff? Don’t you agree that making these things can encourage small-scale industries and provide employment to many people in rural areas? Don’t you think that this will slow down the depletion of natural resources and reverse the ill-effects of industrialization to some extent? Nothing is impossible if we work steadily with noble intentions. Instead of bottled water, can we not set up drinking water in tanks and jugs? Well, it is very much possible, but water worth a few hundred rupees cannot then be sold for thousands of rupees and do business out of it. It is purely for commercial purposes that something so inexpensive as water is being marketed at more than 100 times its actual worth. Not just that, it is resulting in a colossal waste of a precious natural resource while worsening it for the planet by generating mountains of garbage that is not biodegradable. This is nothing less than gambling with public health Many times the water provided as bottled mineral water i not even safe to drink. Not only does that water emit a foul odor, but it also tastes stale and salty. Pure water is odorless, colorless, tasteless, clear, and transparent. But today, the water being sold as mineral water has no promise for passing any criteria for quality. More often than not, groundwater is directly extracted and filled into bottles. The quality of water is far from qualifying as drinking water. It is not even fit for being used for other purposes. This not only poses a considerable risk to public health but is also a case of plain dishonesty and immorality. This is a public crime for all the harm it is doing to people and nature alike. Not just in our country, but the entire world is seeing the domino effect of ecological decline.
This situation calls out for not just limiting and controlling the quantity of consumption but also the methods of consumption. We should change our preferences and gravitate towards reusable things. The judicious use of water and other resources is the secret for conserving the environment and reducing pollution. This can only happen when we change our habits and attitudes. Let us move towards adopting a balanced and positive outlook. Water bestows life, and it should be respected and conserved.
Source: Akhand Jyoti Magazine 2020 Sept-Oct
Akhand Jyoti is not merely a magazine Its an embodiment of my soul
— Pandit Sriram Sharma Acharya