Ground water depletion at alarming levels
The central government has cautioned that by 2020, many cities including Bengaluru will lose their ground water source completely. A report on Composite Water Management Index released by the centre indicates Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and other metropolitan cities with high population density would soon go totally dry in their ground water resource.
Experts on water have been warning about a water crisis in the making since long. If steps are not taken to recharge ground water level, the cities would have severe shortage of drinking water. A policy on rainwater harvesting being made compulsory has also been put in place. However, this has not helped the danger of no water in the near future.
The anxiety is not just about cities losing groundwater table, but rural areas too going almost dry with the table depleting every progressive year. Only in areas close to wetlands, the situation is better thanks to the measures initiated by the government. But the big cities are constantly under water distress during all seasons.
A lot more focused studies have to be conducted on the cause of groundwater table going so drastically down in cities. On the surface, concretization of cities and green cover being constantly reduced for every small developmental or work relating to infrastructure has led to this phase of serious water problems. Concrete and tar do not allow space for water to seep in to ground and be soaked by the soil. Recharge pits are hard to come by. Most of the lakes have been usurped by land grabbers to construct apartments and the remaining lakes have hardly any water left in them. There was a time when Bengaluru was home to more than 500 lakes and these were sufficient water sources for a city with a population of about 30 lakh. But as migration into Bengaluru increased, the city needed more water and the lakes were consistently dried up to make way for new money making real estate.
Today most of Bengaluru’s water comes from a long distance, and from faraway water reservoirs. This is the case of most big cities. Now Bengaluru having lost most of its water source, discussions are on to explore possibilities of pumping water from faraway Linganamakki reservoir. But people from that region are severely opposed to this idea and have taken out protest demonstrations in Sagar and other places to register their resistance.
The same protest was taken out by people in Dakshina Kannada when government proposed Yettinahole Project.
One of the main reasons for urban areas lose ground water is that apart from destroying the conventional water wells, lakes and other water bodies, the cities have been digging more borewells thus causing rapid depletion. And if the ground water table goes down to levels of drying, the situation would be very gory.
Areas like Kolar and Chikkaballapur do not get ground water even if they sink borewells down to 1,500 ft. This is a matter of severe anxiety.
According to NITI Ayog report, Karnataka is severely lagging behind in mechanisms to recharge ground water levels, in the entire nation. A state like Chhattisgarh has used up all the resources provided by the central government and has recharged its borewells to a good 100%, leaving no stone unturned. Telangana has achieved a 90% recharge level and Jharkhand has gone up to 50% on this.
And Karnataka lagging behind on this puts the state in high danger zone. The state has been able to recharge only 6% of its borewells. This is definitely the failure of the state government.
Though rainwater harvesting has been made compulsory in big cities such as Bengaluru and others, the implementation by local bodies has been far from satisfactory.
If rainwater harvesting was done with diligence, cities would have had better water levels in the ground. The state comes up with policies, but the officers from implementing agencies have to perform their duty on these policies being followed strictly by every citizen. But since this dedication towards implementation is lacking, policies are never effective. And an ineffective policy, no matter how good the intent is, would fall flat on ground reality.
Rain water harvesting being made compulsory in homes is not enough. Even public spaces have to be turned into zones of rain water harvesting and those measures need to be initiated without delay.
The whole world facing water crisis. But the onset of monsoon has brought us some respite. Hence we need to use rainwater more effectively and ensure it enters the ground than evaporating on surface. Even the NGOs need to work with great commitment for this apart from governments. The most significant role is that of citizens.
As for its role, the government as a larger body for protection of lakes and water resources, it has to stop the encroachment of lakes and water beds in urban and rural areas. The real estate mafia which has been consistently swallowing lakes has to be dealt with an iron hand. Ramaswamy Committee has revealed shocking facts about this in its report.
And as per this report, state government initiated encroachment clearance drive on water paths in the city but the work did not progress to the level of satisfaction. Even government offices have been built on dried lake beds. This has been a fine example of the total failure of state in this matter.
Many lakes that are still breathing their last few breaths are struggling to stay alive with silt filling up their water source. They need to be desilted to keep them alive. The government needs to exhibit strong political will on this front to ensure the cities do not go dry.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
'Even Ajmal Kasab was given a fair trial': SC remarks in Yasin Malik case
New Delhi, Nov 21: Even Ajmal Kasab was given a fair trial in our country, the Supreme Court on Thursday remarked and indicated it may set up a courtroom inside Tihar Jail for the trial of J&K separatist leader Yasin Malik in a kidnapping case.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih was hearing a CBI plea against the September 20, 2022 order of a Jammu trial court that directed Malik, serving life term in Tihar jail, to be produced before it physically to cross-examine the prosecution witnesses in the kidnapping case of Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of politician Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
The bench, however, remarked, "How will cross-examination be done online? There is hardly any connectivity in Jammu... In our country, a fair trial was given even to Ajmal Kasab and legal assistance was given to him in the high court."
Kasab, the lone Pakistani gunman caught alive after the Mumbai terror attack, was hanged till death at the Yerawada Central Prison .
The bench told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, to take instructions on the total number of witnesses in the case.
Mehta pointed out security concerns and said Malik couldn't be taken to Jammu for the trial.
The law officer accused Malik of "playing tricks" for having asked to appear personally and not engaging a lawyer. Mehta said Malik was not an ordinary criminal and showed a purported photograph of Malik sharing the dais with terrorist Hafiz Saeed.
The top court said it could order trial to take place inside the jail premises and ask the judge to come to the national capital for the proceedings.
The bench, however, noted all the accused persons in the matter had to be heard before it passes an order.
Mehta said Malik appearing in the Supreme Court physically raised security concerns previously.
The bench said Malik could be allowed to appear virtually in the apex court proceedings and posted the matter on November 28.
The CBI in the meantime was directed to amend its petition and implead all accused persons as respondents.
In 2023, Mehta wrote to then Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla flagging a "serious security lapse" after Malik was brought to the Supreme Court to appear in a case.
Malik, serving life sentence in a terror-funding case, was brought to the high-security apex court premises in a prison van escorted by armed security personnel without the court's permission.
Expressing surprise at his presence, Mehta informed the apex court there was a procedure for high-risk convicts to be allowed into the courtroom to argue their case personally.
The CBI said Malik, the top leader of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), was a threat to national security and cannot be allowed to be taken outside the Tihar jail premises.
The apex court on April 24, 2023, issued notices on the CBI's appeal following which the incarcerated JKLF chief wrote a letter to the registrar of the Supreme Court on May 26, 2023 seeking permission to appear in person to plead his case.
An assistant registrar took up his request on July 18, 2023 and said the apex court would pass necessary orders -- a decision the Tihar Jail authorities reportedly misconstrued to allow Malik to appear and argue his case.
Mehta referred to the CBI's contention in its appeal against the trial court order to bring Malik to Jammu for the in-person examination of the witnesses in the kidnapping case, and said under Section 268 of the CrPC a state government may direct certain people to not be shifted from the confines of a prison.
On September 20, 2022, a special TADA court in Jammu directed Malik to be physically produced before it on the next hearing for him to cross-examine prosecution witnesses in the kidnapping case.
The CBI challenged the trial court order before the Supreme Court as appeals in TADA cases are only heard by the top court.
Rubaiya was abducted near Lal Ded Hospital in Srinagar on December 8, 1989 and freed five days later after the then BJP-backed V P Singh government at the Centre released five terrorists in exchange.
Mufti, who now lives in Tamil Nadu, is a prosecution witness of the CBI, which took over the case in early 1990s.
Malik is lodged in Tihar jail after he was sentenced by a special NIA court in May, 2023 in a terror-funding case.
