South Asia needs to tap into the water resource that is brought by the wet monsoon by laying a more comprehensive framework for rain water harvesting and development of dams and reservoirs. Governments and stakeholders need to engage the local populations in building more water pans and other facilities for water harvesting to guarantee year-round water access.
Although governments play a critical role in preserving the environment, the task for cleaning up the rivers is embedded in the local communities. Corporations may chip in as part of the social responsibility initiatives, but it is the communities that contribute immensely to the pollution of rivers.
Through education and awareness, the communities should be charged with the responsibility of preserving the rivers. The justification for this argument rests on the premise that it is the local communities that will benefit the most if the rivers are preserved.
In my view, it is ethically correct to try and stop people from releasing their cremated relatives into the rivers. All what is needed is to educate them on the health hazards posed by such practices. Traditions take long to die, but awareness creation and empowerment of communities to take control of their resources can trigger a change in their belief systems.
It is in order to limit people’s access to a basic human resource owing to scarcity. Limiting not only ensures orderliness, but also guarantees the preservation of the resource for future generations.
Overpopulation and industrialization are directly correlated to the overuse of water resources. To guarantee the protection of water resources, stakeholders must ensure the correct infrastructure is put in place in overpopulated areas and factory zones. Such infrastructure will ensure sewer and industrial waste do not pollute the water resources.