The Mission and the Mangoes is a work of fiction that sets its premise around a dystopic, water-starved Earth where unrestrained mining, drilling and the exhaustion of earth’s resources is rendering the planet unlivable. The young author of the book, 12-year-old Hena Parveen, tries to marry a futuristic setting where technological advancements such as humanoid robots and regular space exploration are a reality, with the Earth’s ecosystem that is hurtling towards an inevitable collapse. Interestingly, all this does not take place in a far-fetched future...
In summers this year, some European rivers had dried substantially, causing drought in many parts of the region. It revealed to their surface, some ancient stones with intricate engravings on them. Their markings used to indicate the water-level of these rivers, which served as a common forecasting tool for famines. Such stones were called hunger stones. One such is disclosed at the banks of the Elbe River. Dated to 1616 AD, its rock is etched with a warning in German...
The World Water Woe is real. There is crisis everywhere because our water resources are limited. A lot of water is wasted when we use it carelessly. Therefore, we should conserve it by handling it judiciously.
Watch this inspiring movie Drop by Drop featuring the little heroes of class 3, reminding us about the importance of saving water by following the right practices. These practices focus upon three simple ways of preserving water before, and not after, its consumption. For example...
Chintu and Chinki were excited to go out for their summer vacations. They were bored of staying at home all through the lockdown. Since their grandparents lived nearby, they had planned to visit their village Tikli. Chintu and Chinki had done all their packing and rode off with their Mom and Dad to the village. As they came close to Tikli, they saw some women carrying pots of water on their heads, walking on the roadside...
Global warming is causing hot places to become even hotter. Hence, animals in desert areas will feel more thirsty than ever before. Is the weather in your place warmer than it was last year? Think about it and colour the picture.
Carrying water by trains could be an emergency measure. Chennai has a strong tradition of water harvesting. But the problem is that most of these structures are either defunct or poorly maintained. Chennai which had 19 major lakes covering an area of 1130 hectares. But these waterbodies have been heavily encroached upon reducing their spread to just about 645 hectares. Its time that we understand the importance of water harvesting.
Can we control the ongoing water crisis all by ourselves? It's not about whose responsibility it is, but what we are doing about it.
“When water became a commodity, I lost my freedom. More importantly, it put a financial burden on those who couldn’t afford to buy it. Today, water companies sell drinking water and advertise it being rich in minerals and full of vitamins. Big corporates such as soda companies have been buying rivers for industrial purpose and farmers have no water to irrigate their fields. As the rivers dry up, animals also start wandering and enter villages in search of water, with a threat of getting trapped or killed.
Archana and her father came out of the Chennai airport into what looked like a scene from an action movie. It was raining, but she could sense when the plane touched down. Now, at the airport, the cars stood honking one behind the other. Sridhar uncle was waiting in the car. They all got in and joined the long queue of cars waiting to enter the dark brown stream that formed the road out of the airport.
