The whole of Kerala seems to be in construction mode. There are buildings and buildings coming up all over, especially in towns and cities. Many of them are totally out of sync with the topography, climate and social life of the state. Of these, I think the worst are the so-called apartments which are mushrooming all over. Many of them are multi-storeyed monstrosities, with little or no thought spent on sewage, sanitation, water supply or parking space. Where three or four individual houses were built in the old days, now hundreds of such flats are coming up, putting great pressure on water, drainage and sewage.
A huge apartment is now coming up just next to my house. I think there are about 120 houses. I have already contacted their Commercial Manager and asked him how he plans to provide water. It seems they are going to sink bore wells. If bore wells are dug, it's a certainty that the water level in all our ordinary wells in the neighbourhood will go down, and one fine day there will be no water left. He has no answers to this.
What are we to do ? If things go on like this, God's Own country will soon be the Devil's Own country, with no water for anyone. Something has to be done fast!
