Film-maker takes up cudgels for water conservation
Mumbai: Some months ago,civic chief Swadhin Kshatriya said that he would go to the Pandharpur temple and pray to Lord Vithoba in case the monsoon fails yet again.But before he could embark on his religious pilgrimage,Mumbais water woes ended with more than abundant rains.Experts,however,have warned that the globe has crossed the danger mark with 80% of its population living in a water-stressed environment.
In Mumbai,large areas face water shortage because of the uneven distribution system.Take,for instance,Cuffe Parade.It is one of the costliest residential enclaves in the country,but is mainly serviced by a convoy of water tankers on a daily basis.
Speaking to TOI after the launch of We are Water Foundation recently,film-maker Shekhar Kapur said that he was astonished when,last year,some builders advertised luxury flats with swimming pools during the height of Mumbais water crisis.The director-producer,who has been advocating water conservation,is expected to start shooting his next film,Panni,a fictional account of riots that break out over water shortage.
Recently,Kapur posted a fictional news report on his website about a water crisis in Mumbai which results in the death of seven people in a riot over a water tanker in Malabar Hill.The riot apparently broke out as people from the slum tried to stop the tanker and ask for water.The driver tried to force the tanker through the crowd,injuring some people,and a riot broke out, it stated.
The way we live will not be the same.Civilization itself is at risk, said Kapur,adding that rural communities in India have been dying since the last 25 years because of the manner in which water has been commercialized.
The We are Water Foundation has partnered with the Vincente Ferrer Foundation (VFF) to construct a reservoir in the countrys second lowest rainfall district in Anantpur,Andhra Pradesh.TV Chalapathi,director of VFF,a rural development trust,said that the foundation has constructed 2,400 water bodies in the past 25 years.
* I was astonished when,last year,some builders advertised luxury flats with swimming pools during the height of Mumbais water crisis – Shekhar Kapur | FILM-MAKER