Where’s the water

Gurnaaz Kaur

Rows of women holding buckets and plastic pots, waiting for water tankers, we’ve all seen it in newspapers and on TV. Chennai water crisis was in the news recently. Closer home, Punjab, too, has been battling water woes. Throwing light on this situation is a team of five persons who have made a documentary series on the same. Titled Paani Dee Hook — The Pain of Water — the YouTube series of 25 episodes is based on research and facts. The title song of the series, which is in Punjabi, has been sung by Manmohan Waris and Kamal Heer for free.

“We’ve interviewed artistes, scientists, politicians, researchers and general public. There is more trouble than just Malwa being the cancer belt. In five years, things will turn uglier than we all can foresee,” says JB Athwal, professor at Punjabi University.

The series begins with an introduction on water and history of this land, followed by introduction to the Green Revolution, changing patterns of irrigation, depleting levels of groundwater, water pollution, health hazards and much more.

From being the breadbasket of India to the state facing ecological problems at its centre, Punjab needs a reality check. “Did you know that we consumed the first layer of groundwater (20-30 feet) back in the 1980s? There are more than 15 lakh tubewells in this agricultural state today. The level is 500 feet down, thanks to the huge paddy fields. Nearly 70 per cent of the state’s water has already been consumed,” says a rather worried Athwal.

He wasn’t aware of these facts until he met his friends from Canada who were on a visit to Punjab for a research project on the subject. Together they decided to use the visual medium to draw attention of the masses. 

“Harjinder Singh Gill and Prabhjot Kainth, who run an NGO, have already made some short documentaries on the Malwa region. This time, they wanted to include the entire state for their research. Each year, they spend a few months researching on Punjab and working to find solutions. When they shared these stark facts, my wife, Vanita Khanna, and I felt compelled to do something for our land.”

Athwal handled cinematography, direction and editing. Vanita pitched in as a graphic designer and associate director. Preetinder Singh, who is doing his Master’s degree at Punjabi University, took up the camera. Six months into research, after shortlisting around 60 persons for interviews, and pump in their own savings, what this team of five has done is a feat. “The NRIs are so worried about Punjab and they are thinking of ways to fix the situation,” says Vanita. 

The film does not just feature the alarming water situation in the state, it also shares stories of villages that have created treatment plants and are working on rain water harvesting. These are some model villages that prove we can bring about a change.

Purely non-profitable, The Pain of Water is a call to all of us. When we are the consumers, let’s also be the change makers to mitigate this crisis. 

Scary facts

• Punjab has been facing severe water crisis due to less than normal annual rainfall since 1998. 
• The state is not getting adequate amount of river water due to political reasons like Indus Treaty, damming and diversion of river wate and conflict with Haryana, Rajasthan and the Centre. 
• The irrigation water demand is significantly more than total irrigation water available. 
• Groundwater is being overexploited for irrigational purpose.
• Water quality is getting deteriorated. The water is not suitable for drinking purpose. 
• Drinking water parameters have surpassed the maximum permissible limit in most of the parts of this state. 
• Toxic heavy metals (like selenium, uranium, arsenic, and lead) and pesticides have been reported in many groundwater samples in Punjab.