Cities and water: Working with nature is best

POLITICIANS don’t think water except to give it away free. In the absence of political interest, administrators go on as though nothing needs to be done. Whether village or city, a tough situation is either upon people or ominously up ahead. Invariably, there is adequate, if not plenty, of water locally available. It just isn’t accessed properly. There is little respect for rainfall, rivers, ponds and lakes. An understanding of their value would not only reduce shortages but also make cities more ecologically sustainable.

In the cover story he has done for us on special request, Venkatesh Dutta has shown how Lucknow’s water needs can be better met now and in the future by reviving the Gomti, Kukrail and a jigsaw of rivulets and wetlands.

Dr Dutta has been proposing the rights of Indian rivers and a freeing up of their floodplains. Decades of shoddy governance have led to encroachments of one kind or the other, which the courts have said must go. But, having caused the problem in the first place, politicians shy away from owning responsibility. And when they do roll up their sleeves to get things done, the challenges are daunting.

Read Venkatesh Dutta's Cover Story

An accompanying piece by S. Vishwanath in Bengaluru lists five simple measures any city should take. Vishwanath, who drives a large rainwater harvesting programme, has been working with the Bengaluru administration to put improved systems in place.

A whole social movement is needed to change the way people use and conserve water. It must begin with politicians accepting this reality themselves and reaching out to their constituencies.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is doing things to our lives like we never imagined. What will it do to healthcare? Are algorithms going to be replacing physicians? The patient-physician equation is already a troubled one for various reasons. With AI, the chances are it will get more complicated. There is the question of how AI will influence diagnostics. For sure, it will speed up many functions, but will it enter uncharted terrain?

For our interview of the month, we spoke with Dr Raju Sharma at AIIMS. Using AI well will mean making it useful to the physician and hospital administrations. The physician staying in control is important. But the experience so far is that AI, once unleashed, is difficult to contain. India needs to be ready for what’s coming up. We also take you to two protests held by citizens, in Delhi and Doon — one on dog bites and the other on the felling of trees. We bring you Meghalaya’s brilliant turmeric in our Living section together with the joys of a Telugu meal.