N 88    World Water Day

March 22 is World Water day.It had been officially designated in 1993 by the United nations General Assembly and each year World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater such as Water and  Sustainable Development for 2015, Water and Jobs for 2016. The theme for 2017 is Waste Water.

Why is water taken so seriously by the World’s most important association….It is because water is the most crucial thing in human’s life. Without water and some other matters such as air , trees and plants no human and other beings can survive. That is why we humans cannot go and live on other planets even when our own is over populated and already crowded.

 But even if we can live on this Earth planet because there is water,the quantity and quality of water in places of the world are not the same. They are different in everything according to their location. As for water, when some places have abundant water some have little or no water at all. And then there are 2 different kinds of water , the salt water and the fresh water. The salt water which covers about 70 % of the world’s area is the water of the oceans and seas and cannot be used for human’s daily needs. We can use only  the fresh water from inland rivers and streams and lakes and ponds for our daily needs.

Like the world which is full of inequalities our country is also like that. When some states and divisions have sufficient rainfall, some don’t. The Rakhine and Taninthayi States have the most rainfall, and many states and divisions have efficient rainfall , but the Central part of our country has only a little rainfall and thus they are called the Dry Zone where water is scarce.

I remember an episode of my younger days when I took my students on an excursion. After visiting Bagan, on an invitation of some of the teachers who were natives of a village in Kyaukpadaung Township , we  went and stayed one night in their village. On reaching the house we were to put in we saw a line of large glazed earthern pots which were full of water. So we thought that water was plentiful in that village. But upon enquiring we found out that it was not as we thought. They had to go and fetch water from a faraway place by bullock carts and filled them in those sint ohs for our use. Oh… how hospitable were those Burmese people of the Anyar. Their’s was one of the places that have to use bathing or washing water  for watering plants if not for feeding cattle. I am still thankful to them when I come to think of their hospitality.

But these people from the dry zone of our country are more fortunate than some women of India. I once watched a TV documentary which showed the plight of Indian women. They were from the North Western State like Punjab or Sind district. In India it is the duty of women to carry water for household use. And in these said states women have to go a long way to fetch water, about 8 klms it said. And it is not only once a day that they had to go on foot for the water , but 7 or 8 times. This water is used also for animals they reared beside household use. I thought ….why didn’t the men go and fetch water using  some kind of vehicles with  wheels to carry water to lessen the burden of women. And there are states in India where people never taste pure clean water but only bitter contaminated water their whole life. It said in the internet that there are 1.8 billion people around the world who use a source of water contaminated with faeces, putting them at risk of contracting  cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio. And then there are 663 million people in the world living without clean water.

About Waste Water which is the theme for 2017…..Globally the vast majority of the waste water from our homes, cities, industries, and agriculture flows back to nature without being treated or reused , polluting the environment and losing valuable nutrients and other recoverable materials.

Instead of wasting wastewater we need to reduce and reuse it . In our homes we can use greywater on our gardens and plots. In our cities we can treat and reuse wastewater for green spaces. In industry and agriculture we can treat and recycle discharge for things like cooling system and irrigation.

There is not plenty of water on earth. As I have said earlier only about 30% of earth’s  water is fresh water and a greater quantity of it is in earth’s interior or in the form of ice. The fresh water in rivers and lakes are less than .3 % of the world’s water.

Our town Taunggyi is not a town rich in water resources. Some decades ago the town depended on lakes and reservoirs around the town for its water.  But because of lack of conservations of trees and forests these lakes and reservoirs dried up. Our  Taunggyaung Gyi lake and Nyaung Shwe Lake is drying up now even it is only March. The town people depend mostly on artesian wells which draws up underground water . And people do not have knowledge that it is not proper to cover up the space in their plots , so that rain water can seep into the ground to fill the place of water that was drawn up for use. Digging many artesian wells is not good as this also can deplete the underground water.

Water is essential building block of life. But it is more than just essential to quench thirst or protect health. It is also vital for creating jobs and supporting economical, social and human development.We should bear in mind that there are 663 milliion people living without  safe water supply close to home, spending countless hours     queueing or trekking to distant sources and coping with the health impacts of using contaminated water.

So we should value the water we have and not waste it, collect rainwater in the rainy season , and use it effectively, mend a tap or a broken pipe when we see one, and educate  people to use   water properly.

 N 87      A Meaningful Donation

My sister in law had asked me some time ago to donate solar plates to give light to a Palaung monastery in a village called Hsai Moun. It is 14 miles before reaching Kunhing and I had promised to do so.

As I was going to Kunhing for the opening ceremony of the Sukhitarone Dhammaryone I decided to fulfil my promise during the trip. So I went to buy the solar plate and the electrical things that will be needed to light the monastery with the help of the electrical engineer of our company.

The next day we all went to Kunhing and on the day after that , while we were busy with the opening ceremony the engineer with his helper went back to Hsai Moun and did the installing of the solar plate and did the wiring needed.

The 8^th of February was the day of entertainment guests and as I had some free time I was taken to Hsai Moun by my sister in law and her political party  friends to see how the solar was done and to do the offering personally to the monks of the monastery.

Only then did  I came to know  why they had asked me to donate solar at this particular monastery . It was during the campaign period of 2015 that they had come to this monastery to do some campaigning and as night was fallen, and there was no source of light it was very dark. That was the reason they asked me to donate light at this place.

As for me to light a dark place, to feed hungry people, to donate where it is needed are great things to do, because these donations will make the recipient benefit instantly . So even if the number of monks at this monastery is small and they seems not learned much , I felt that one gap was filled and it made me satisfied and pleased to make this small donation.

Some village elders and some children came to see the light and they told us that they were very pleased to have light for the monastery. After some time I asked them to take us to see one of their houses which I heard many times that they are long with many families living together and  with a fireplace for each family.

So one village elder took us to a house which was not far from the monastery. When we got off from our car and entered the compound we first saw a long stilted house built with wood and  tin  roofing.Then I noticed a car and a trawler in a shed and some wood planks which were left in the sun to dry. They have some plans to build a new house I thought . And I also saw a lavatory in one corner of the compound. Hmmn….some kind of progress.

Then we climbed up the ladder and I walked to the far end of the house where the light was coming in, looking around the house. I noticed that there were 4 fireplaces and also 4 altars . So there are 4 families living in this house which is dark and black with smoke and soot which were trapped in this house for a long time.

Then we sat down at the nearest fireplace with some elders . We enquired about their livelihood and was sorry to hear that the price of corn , that they are growing had fallen and so life was not so good. But were pleased when we heard that they are sending some of their children to school.

The Palaungs in our district are so ignorant with little or no development at all. They are living in their own style of one century or more ago with only a little progress. They are not up to the standard of today in housing, food, clothing, hygiene, etc;

But I don’t mean all Palaungs. Palaungs of Northern Shan State are well off and developed. I wish there will be volunteers who will educate them and open their eyes that their lives will become better.

8^th March 2017