Water is nature’s gift meant for sharing, do not monopolise it

The present global water crunch can be construed as divine vengeance of human disregard for the elixir of life. “Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans,” said the French conservationist JacquesYves Cousteau.

Apart from being the lifeline of all flora and fauna, water is a great cleanser that rids us of physical and spiritual impurities. Adherents of all faiths use water before conducting any ritual. Hindus begin their worship by holding achaman, the sacred water, to set the mind in a receptive mode.

Sprinkling water after rituals and festive baths consecrate the devotee through this building block of life; it’s the holy water of the Ganges that imbues sanctity to all ceremonies. In Islam, physical and ritual purity i.e. tahara is essential before worship. Among Christians, no initiation is possible without water. The Sikhs call holy water amrit and those who have consumed this prasada at the Golden Temple are supposed to lead an immaculate life.

“After the passion of love, water rights have caused more trouble than anything else to the human species,” said Pulitzer-winner Alice Steinbach. With water becoming a scarce commodity — over 1.8 billion already without access to safe drinking water and half the world’s population set to suffer acute water crisis by 2025 — water will be the cause of wars in the future.

In this scenario, it is unethical and inhuman to monopolise water resources. This gift of nature must not be denied to human beings, especially those struggling for every last drop.