Graphic Reflections

The above graphic looks at a typical north / north-west Indian city from the perspective of water availability and depicts four scenarios: 1. The current or past scenario wherein rainwater falling over a limited area and collected in nearby lake/s is distributed to the city. Here, water for the entire city is essentially accumulated at one location. 2. An ideal scenario wherein water collection is widespread and each property collects rainwater for domestic use and enough water is also collected in nearby lake/s. So rainwater falling over a much wider area is utilised. 3. This scenario depicts the foolish and alarming reality of today and tomorrow, wherein owing to erratic rainfall and destruction of catchment areas, enough water is not collected in lake/s that supply municipal water, city dwellers ignore precious rainwater and let it go to waste, depending instead on sub-standard water pumped out of deep borewells. Many are forced to buy expensive water the quality of which can be questionable. 4. This scenario depicts what we should be doing or what we will ultimately be forced to do, wherein almost all properties (spread over a much larger area) collect rainwater, use it for domestic purposes and ease off pressure on already stressed lakes and groundwater reserves, which could also be recharged by chanelling excess rainwater back into the ground.

If you are one of those rare Indian city dwellers who collect rainwater in your property, then you will probably know how much water a single rooftop can collect in a large tank from just one day’s good rain, often it can be judiciously used for months! If you are not one of them, it’s time you at least started thinking about it! Usually, rainwater collection system costs less than a deep borewell and in terms of water quality, there can be no comparison to rainwater!

This graphic attempts to illustrate the correlation between urban development process in India and falling availability of water, groundwater in particular. Construction of buildings and infrastructure requires heavy use of water, most of which is pumped out of the ground. Water is then used intensively by people who reside / work in the buildings with little or no attempt to recharge the groundwater or to harvest or store rainwater. Moreover, nearby lakes or ponds that are some of the most efficient means of recharging groundwater, are filled up and the ‘new’ land used for more buildings. Once the groundwater depletes or becomes unfit for consumption, many residents are forced to leave and those who stay have to buy expensive commercial water and in many cases the value and usefulness of ‘developed’ properties declines. If you look at the current urban development trend in India from the perspective of water (the liquid critical for sustenance of life), that it is about short-term gains and long-term loss is not difficult to see..

This graphic attempts to highlight the irony of eco-tourism projects in India, with special reference to lakes. More and more Indian lakes are ‘developed’ to become tourist friendly: with heritage structures, walkways, driveways, amusement parks, etc. around them and with boating / water sports facilities. As a result of the disturbance, animals and birds (and insects and fishes)—which constitute a lake’s ecosystem—find their homes destroyed and either perish in the process or are forced to leave. Lakes, in a water scarce and environmentally degraded country like India, are hearts of its natural support system, their stereotypical development results in short-term gains and long term loss for the country. Lakes need to be left untouched and respected for the not-always-visible-to-the-naked-eye role they play in securing our environment.

This graphic tries to portray the humiliating treatment given to public property in India by the general public. Property that is provided for the convenience of people is littered, scratched, abused, plastered by posters, sometimes destroyed, etc. The most worrying fact is that destruction of public property has become a symbol of protesting, causing huge losses to the exchequer, inconvenience to masses and a setback to the development process. India desperately needs strict laws and massive fines to check destruction or abuse of public property.

A pun on the north-pointing sign found on maps, this graphic tries to depict the attraction of or inclination towards the West. Most developing countries (India included) wish to develop themselves like western countries, most educated individuals wish to have the same kind of lifestyle as their western counterparts. If there is one direction in which the world is headed, it is probably west.

One significant difference between developed and developing countries lies in the way they manage their garbage (I am specifically referring to municipal solid waste here). Several developed countries have strict rules and proceedures in place regarding garbage disposal and violators are fined heavily. Proper management of grabage is a strong indicator of a responsible and developed society. To become a developed country in that sense, India has a long way to go. Today, in India, there is an urgent need of strict garbage disposal rules, proceedures and related education. (Bottom right photograph: garbage collection in Sweden. Photographer: Niklas Johnsson, curtesy Stock Xchng. Top left photograph: garbage collection bin outside a South Delhi neighbourhood.)

This graphic tries to portray the ‘weight’ India’s billion strong (and growing) population exerts on the development process of the country. To develop the country or to ‘uplift’ such a huge population, India’s development process will have to be that much stronger, weightier and tougher.

A very direct graphic to depict ‘Sustainable Development’. A country’s development (dictionary meaning: to grow, become more mature, advanced, or elaborate) process is only justified if it respects, protects and nurtures the natural environment—on which depends the existence of all life forms including Man.

Is India’s population eating up the country is the question this graphic (based on the famous computer game Pac-Man) tries to ask. While many say India’s workforce will be younger than China’s in the next few decades (right now China is world’s fastest growing major economy) and give China a run for its money, a few relevant questions that arise in ones mind are: will the (already crumbling) infrastructure in Indian cities be able to cope up with the demands of a rising polulation? Will India’s already-under-pressure natural resources be able to sustain the requirements of a mega population? And most importantly, which socio-economic classes do most current newborns in India belong to, what kind of education and healthcare are they likely to receive and how likely are they to get a piece of the economic growth pie?

Religious clashes deface and destabilise the country is what this graphic (based on the Gujarat riots of 2002) tries to portray. No religion teaches hatred, senseless destruction or killing; riots are often fuelled by sly political agendas and usually result in loss of life, peace and property among other things. Riots are almost always a setback to the development process.