Inadvertently, most draughts are man-made..In other parts of the country, like Bihar, PM Narendra Modi, in his typical fashion of putting the cart before the horse, is pleased as punch. What is the reason for this senseless tree felling? Apparently, the land is needed for Central government accommodations! Concerned citizens began a missed call campaign titled “Save Delhi’s trees”. But so many of the toilets constructed are used as storage units. The views expressed here are personal.In Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh, reporters from an esteemed daily wholesale Purification Product discovered that out of more than 300 households in Modhi village, roughly 100 did not have a toilet. It has been predicted that a new report from the Niti Aayog — a government think tank — says that 21 Indian cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, will run out of groundwater by 2020. We need a dedicated afforestation programme, and a commitment of a long-term plan to avert the impending water crisis that hangs over our heads.

It will be better that the Jal Board takes over the project since they have had better success with mobile tankers. First there is the issue of supply; most of India has not received enough rainfall to restore its groundwater table. The water crisis is in fact the worst we will ever face in the history of India. It appears that the figures spouted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is in fact erroneous. Youngsters in Gurgaon are also planning a planting drive of rainbow trees for International Pride Day in July. Moreover, in this story there is no water problem in the village. After spending so much money on building and installing these kiosks, the least the government can do is to make sure that they work! Thirsty folks line up outside the Noida City Centre station and are often left disgruntled and the UP government is just looking on passively as these water kiosks cost a bomb to install. One thing is for sure: rainwater harvesting has faced several setbacks. Ministers from a certain party would do well to pay heed to these wise words.

Some of them had not even received a visit from an official. Instead of spending money on balloons, masks and rainbow flags, that are all environment unfriendly and leave a mess, the pride planning committee is discussing planting trees and creating a fertile green belt around Gurgaon’s corporate concrete jungle. Recently the announcement that the forest department has cleared axing 16,500 fully grown trees in the heart of South Delhi with more in the waiting, has given all those environmentally conscious denizens a mini stroke.We need to take more steps like this if we want to avert certain disaster.As pregnant rain clouds hang over Delhi, one is reminded of the desperate need for rain in the capital and the NCR region.In this scenario one can use what they are calling “grey water” to flush the toilet.