Water of Life

The water in the Jamuna River as it flows under the bridge marking the tri-junction between Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana at Paonta Sahib, less than five hours driving time from Delhi, is absolutely pure and clean. It is bottled and sold as mineral water without any further treatment. An hour’s drive along the river towards Delhi, and the water is unfit even for cultivation of water-melons. By the time it reaches Delhi, the Jamuna is no more than a sewage canal.

The Delhi-Chandigarh highway is one of the busiest stretches in the country. There used to be at least 3-dozen tubewells along the side of this 250 kilometre stretch, continuously pumping out fresh, clean and cool water. Delightful to freshen up with and to recharge water bottles or ‘surahis’ (Earthen pots with long necks, a traditional way of keeping water cool and clean). Today there are none.

Dhabas (country eating spots along highways, popular as truckstops) were renown for their hospitality. You could always get a cot to stretch out on, safe parking as well as clean water. Today, wall to wall mosquitoes eat you alive if you so much as step out and as for water, it costs four rupees per sealed plastic cup.

What has happened to all the drinking water in India?

There is a law, exists on the books in every municipality or civic body in India. Any and every commercial establishment open to the public shall provide to visitors ample supply of drinking water. Shops, restaurants, banks, even your office. Old timers will recall that shops in Delhi and Mumbai, Chennai and Calcutta, Hyderabad and Cochin, would always keep a tray full of glasses filled with clean water, or at the very least, a few ‘ghadaas’ or ‘surahis’. That was, and still is, the law.

So what happened to the law?

Well, it still exists. By rights the paan-wallah has able to offer you drinking water, free of charge. But why would he, it takes some effort and moreover, chances are that you will end up buying a cola instead.

But then, inspite of everything, Indians still have the lowest carbonated water consumption per head per annum, something like 1.3 bottles per head per year. And it’s just not going up.

Which took me to the habitats of the two cola majors slugging it out in India, Coke and Pepsi. Luckily I have friends who work for both! The quotes are amazing.

“Water is our biggest enemy”.
“Sure, of course our salesmen encourage the de-spoiling of drinking water facilities, it is so easy”
“Government offices are the easiest, it is so simple to damage the water coolers installed.”
“Actually you just have to ensure that the area around the taps is, you know, made dirty?”
“Can’t beat them, join them. Make sure the guy has to sell bottled water.”
“Free drinking water? My outlets have to give free drinking water? Are you crazy?”

How does one prove this?

Up in Himachal, beyond Sarahan, lies Jalori Pass, once a favourite target for rallyists, still a proving ground for car tests which I use often. The semi-tarmac road is dotted with natural springs and small water-falls, called by different names but often “jharna”, which flow across the road. One particular ly clean sweet-water “ jharna” close to the windswept pass was a comfortable pace to get a great view and let the car cool-down, and so it was nick-named as such. Over the years a small tea-stall came up, the repertoire increased to bakery and Uncle Chipps and one fine day, there was Pepsi and there was Coke.

And today there is no jharna at Jharna. It’s not even called Jharna anymore!

But the tea-stall guy has an interesting story to tell. He says he was actually paid to divert the flow of the water to a point away from the road. Which he did, once he saw the commercial benefit of stocking bottled “mineral” water in a land where it comes free out of the rockface.

Who told him to do this? The bottler, who is also the political big-wig in the area.

Can we prove, however, that it is the MNC cola companies responsible for this state of water-less affairs? Let us put it this way: they are supposed to be great corporate citizens. They can easily locate the law which enforces on their outlets to keep potable and clean drinking water as a condition of doing business. They can, thus, easily enforce this law, no?

Would they? On behalf of thirsty millions? Or is it not their responsibility?

But that still doesn’t prove matters, does it?

So try this one. Attempt to set up a free drinking water provision anywhere. And see what happens. I did, and somebody would come and smash the ‘ghadaas’ every other day. Till, one day, I caught the miserable wretch in the act. A few judicious questions, and the truth comes tumbling out, he was doing it on the instructions of the cola salesman on whose route I had set up this threat to the trade. At that point, I gave up and became a writer.

So while we die for water in Delhi, water-melons are now imported from Bangalore.

Late news: The Indian Government has decreed that all sweetened and carbonated waters shall carry a warning : Not recommended for children.