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 Water, water everywhere but... |
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WHEN Emily Potter landed in Kochi from Australia, it was raining heavily. ‘‘It was after a really long time that I was seeing such heavy rains. These days, it doesn’t rain much in Australia,’’ says the research fellow at Deakin University, Australia. Emily is in the city to collect information for ‘Plastic Water’, the book she is co-authoring with colleagues Gay Hawkins and Kane Race. The book that will be published by MIT Press will be out in 2011.
‘Plastic Water’ deals with the global water politics. Emily developed an interest in the subject after completing her PhD on ‘People’s relation with the environment’. Later she edited a book, ‘Fresh Water’, which dealt with the water problem in Australia. ‘‘People from different disciplines — law, medicine, visual arts etc — looked at the crisis in different perspectives and proposed new ways of dealing with the water shortage crisis,’’ says Emily, who is on a 10-day visit to Kochi with colleague and friend Chippy Kurian.
As part of the research for the book, Emily and the co-authors of ‘Plastic Water’ will tour the US, Mexico, UK, Vietnam and Thailand besides Australia and India. ‘‘I’m here to closely examine the rise of the mineral water industry in India, the commodification of a fundamental commodity like water, the activism for water happening in the country, the decline of water supply and monsoon and water shortage,’’ says Emily.
Besides Kerala, Emily will visit Tamil Nadu to study about different aspects of water. ‘‘Water-related problems vary from place to place and country to country, so do the different forms of water privatisation issues. In Australia, water is a pressing issue. The quality of water is good but there’s not enough for all. The rivers are fast drying up and it doesn’t rain much.’’
Emily says that in Australia, people buy bottled water ’coz of drought rather than to attain the ‘healthy and modern’ tag. ‘‘Tap water in Australia is of excellent quality. But we have water restrictions. We are not allowed to wash our cars on all days. Though not mandatory, the government is exhorting people not to prolong having a shower beyond four minutes,’’ Emily says.
How different is the water situation in Australia and India? ‘‘There is crisis in both the countries. But in Australia, there is hardly any activism for water. We worry about it in an abstract manner whereas in India the agitation is strong.’’ The researcher has been listening to a range of views from the cityfolk ranging from laymen to journalists, activists and doctors. And she’s well aware of the Plachimada issue. ‘‘That’s one of the reasons I picked up Kerala. Some say it’s politically motivated. Others beg to differ. It is a multi-faceted issue. I’m yet to draw a conclusion.’’
Will the book cater more to academic interest? ‘‘Not quite. We propose to present it in a narrative style. Of course, there will be statistics to support the findings. ‘Plastic Water’ is our contribution to the debate on water crisis that’s on in every part of the world.
Ask her about the recent attacks on Indians in Australia and Emily says, ‘‘Racism exists in every country. It’s only a minority who is purporting racial attacks in Australia. That shouldn’t be generalised. Everyone, including me, is a migrant in Australia, leave aside the aborigines. I love Australia for its multi-cultural nature. All should be respected. It’s sad that Indians are being subject to racist attacks these days. But I feel things are not as bad as has been projected by the media.’’
Emily will go home with fond memories of getting thoroughly drenched in the rains when she was on a boat ride. ‘‘I loved it! It’s the first of a kind experience in my life. We heard the sound of its arrival before it poured on us heavily. I’ll cherish the experience forever,’’ she says.
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