An unprecedented spell of chill, with temperatures falling way below zero, put the lives of people in Kashmir to real hardships. For days the water pipes, and the water storage tanks, remained frozen. People were literally dying for a drop of water. Never in the near past we have had crisis of this kind in all the winters we braved. When the harshest part of the winter was coming to a close, and people were ready to greet warmth in the atmosphere, there was a sudden dip in temperatures. In this biting cold people also faced trouble in moving out, and doing the routine work. In fact doctors advised caution, as they thought it can result in grave problems to heath, even death in certain cases. The government could also do hardly anything in this situation. Unless the spell of chill breaks, who can help the frozen water pipes to defreeze.
It was not possible to do that. But there are lessons for all of us in this. In fact government also must learn its share of lessons. The way we construct our houses, and care least about insulating walls, floors, and roofs, this is bound to happen. We invest loads of many on making our houses look like mansions, but never take the trouble of making them insulated so as to defend ourselves from the adverse impact of the sub zero temperatures. For the government, it is important to undertake a public campaign aimed at sensitising the poeple about these issues. A timely intervention by the concerned departments can bring about a change in the general pattern of our housebuilding. What also falls on the shoulders of the government is to ensure that no water pipers remain above ground. In many cases this has resulted in the freezing, and consequently no water supply to the entire area that the pipes would feed. The health department should also take note of this situation and upgrade its capabilities to rescue ailing people in this deep chill. A state of preparedness can always help in such situations.