Satyamev Jayate – Aamir Honours ‘Water Heroes’

By Fenil Seta -

July 23, 2012 - 9:35 AM IST

I carry a medium-sized water bottle to my office. The quantity of water that it can store is sufficient and there are times when I am not able to finish the water in entirety. During such times, I don't throw away the water. Rather, I pour it into the flush tank or the bucket in which water to be used in the toilet is stored! This is my small way of conserving water. But surely, a lot needs to be done. Aamir Khan, in the twelfth and the second last episode of Satyamev Jayate, deals with problems associated with water scarcity.

Satyamev Jayate – Aamir Honours ‘Water Heroes’

Plenty of localities in Mumbai get their daily supply of water through water tankers. People standing in queues for their turn is a sight seen by all of us. Sometimes, quarrels arise but who could have thought that it can lead to death as well? This is what happened at Usmannagar (Nanded district, Maharashtra) when a 14-year-old got crushed under a water tanker as a result of a stampede-like situation. The sight of two-three dozens of people climbing atop the tanker in hordes to get water presents an extremely sorry state of affairs in our country. At the same time, it makes us feel blessed since we don't have to face many problems to get our share of water.

Few months ago, a piece of article about a women in neighbouring Thane district dying because of exhaustion as a result of walking hours to fetch water sent shockwaves. What was even more astonishing was the fact that this happened in the neighbourhood of Mumbai, the city where water is easily accessible. The episode throws light on this step motherly treatment meted out to villages around Mumbai. What's more, the dams and rivers which provide water to Mumbai are located next to the villages or pass through them! Yet, it's Mumbai that gets the first preference over the water and not the inhabitants! Just imagine, the villagers can see water flowing from their windows and yet have to painfully walk for hours to get their share!

While the rest of the world is busy putting their best foot forward in preserving their rivers and other water bodies, we are doing exactly opposite. Tons of garbage lying at the river bed is a common sight throughout the length and breadth of India. A law requires municipal bodies and industries to treat the water before letting it into the rivers and seas. But that is costly and hence untreated sewage flows into the river, making it highly toxic and poisonous. In fact, Manoj Mishra from 'Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan', gave a jolt when he claimed that 600 to 800 kms of Yamuna river stretch (that includes cities like Panipat, Delhi, Agra, Mathura, Vrindavan, Etawah etc) is polluted beyond repair! And this is happening in a country which refers to rivers as 'maa'! Not only authorities but even common people have no respect for the 'mother'. An instance from my own experience - how many of Mumbaikars knew that a river called Mithi existed in the city pre-2005? It was thanks to the floods and widespread destruction that happened during July 2005 floods that the city and the authorities woke up to its existence and extensive damage. Otherwise, for us, it was always a dirty 'nullah' or gutter!

Thankfully, hope is there. And Aamir welcomed and honoured all those 'water heroes' who helped preserve the water in their village and thereby changed its dynamics (Rodmal Meena and Shimbu Dayal Sharma - Alwar, Rajasthan; Mangan and J Mohan - Tamil Nadu; Hanumant Kendre - Nagdarwadi, Maharashtra; Sujan Das and Indra Reddy - Andhra Pradesh; Nursingha Naik and Chitranjan Hota - Odisha; Habib Syed, Babasaheb Pawar and Dattatreya Padir - Hiwre Bazaar, Maharashtra). A dose of humour was injected here as Hanumant revealed that he had to take the step for water conservation so that he could get married! These heroes did their bit in villages. But what about cities? Rainwater harvesting is the key. Water accumulated on the terraces of buildings can be effectively stored in tanks and then used for non-drinking purposes. Few housing societies have already put the system into place (mine is one of them) and don't face water crunch as much as others. The cost isn't much and can be done by all types of buildings and not only residential societies.

The final bit of episode concentrates on the IAS officer Santha Sheela Nair who made water scarcity in Chennai history by compulsorily enforcing water harvesting societies in all structures. However, she had a crucial thing to say that this was possible only because of political interference. Often, lack of political will is the reason behind not only water scarcity but hordes of other problems plaguing our country. It's high time our politicos get a bit gutsy and bring about urgent changes.

Undoubtedly and expectedly, the episode served its purpose and loved the way each dimension of the problem was brought forward. For the first time ever, Aamir mildly ridicules audiences for not knowing the source of water that quenches Mumbai's thirst which was right and justified! Although he and his team did a fine job and research, a little more needed to be done. Thousands of liters of water go down the drain in film shootings. Aamir's very own 3 Idiots had two crucial scenes (in 'Zoobi Doobi' song and in the climax) where precious water was used and then must have gone down the drain. No doubt, the scenes served their purpose but can't special effects 'create' rain in our films so that there's no need to waste so much of fresh-water? Also, Aamir delved into the pollution in the rivers but didn't provide adequate solutions for the same. Moreover, Mithi river issue was completely ignored. A similar issue was faced in Seoul (South Korea) when Cheonggye river was filled with trash and to cover it, a road was built over it. Thankfully, the road was removed and the stream was restored and today it's one of the major attractions in Seoul (also seen in 'Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai' song in the film Gangster). Aamir could have given the Cheonggye example and thereby made the episode more impactful.

But nevertheless, no complaints! That Aamir Khan is doing so much itself is worth appreciating. Now, eagerly waiting for the final episode of Satyamev Jayate and hope it provides a fitting conclusion to this memorable television show of all time!

Watch the video: Satyamev Jayate: Water - Every Drop Counts (Episode 12)