Author: Vivek Chakravarty

There was huge shortage of water in Champakvan so Major i.e. Mayor lion, Shersingh has imposed a ban on wasting the water. Now each resident of Champakvan was getting only 2 to 4 bucket of water every day according to their needs.  People of Champakvan were extremely bothered by this.

One day, Bobby chimpanzee was on going somewhere, he saw lots of water pouring out in the drains from Chhannu mole’s house. 

‘Oh, perhaps Chhannu’s bucket has turned down and thus water is flowing out. I should quickly go and tell Chhannu about this.” As this thought popped in Bobby’s mind, he reached Chhannu’s house.

After Bobby called Chhannu three or four times only then Chhannu came out drying his hair. 

“What happen Bobby, why you were calling me?”

“Chhannu, I think water bucket has turned down ay your home. Minutes back I saw lots of water flowing out from your home and getting wasted in the drains.” Bobby said all in the single breath.

“Oh brother, that’s because I was taking bath,” Chhannu said laughingly. 

“Taking bath, but how that’s possible? In our limited quota of 2 buckets of water, I can’t even properly wash hands and face, fearing the shortage of water for drinking,” Bobby said shockingly.

“Bobby, have you ever seen me bringing water from the pond?”

“Perhaps no,” Bobby nodded in denial scratching his head.

“That’s so because I don’t go to bring water from the pond at all.”

“Then how is water supplied to your home?” Bobby asked in utter shock.

“From the tank built at my terrace in which the rain water is collected. I collected lots of water in the rainy season and now having the pleasure and luxury of using the same water.” Chhannu told with pride.

“Great, you are in benefit and we are suffering for even a single drop. I wish we too had practiced your way of collecting and saving the water.” Bobby said with deep sigh.

“Bobby, if you need water, you can take from me”

“Thank you so much Chhannu,” Bobby said and left from Chhannu’s house.

Gradually in the days ahead, water level in the pond fall further down and Mayor Shersingh started allotting relatively lesser water to Champakvan residents causing more problematic situation for them.

“Mayor Sir, how can 3 buckets of water fulfill my need? Please at least consider my size.” Honey elephant said weeping.

“Honey, for few days you have to adjust and manage in less water only. The rate at which water level is dropping in the pond if that continued, we shall be suffer huge crisis for drinking water also.” Mayor Shersingh said in a serious tone.

“Oh! King! How long it will remain like this,” Bobby asked lifting his bucket up.

Till the rainy season come.  As Shersingh said this, Bobby walked away towards his home with water in his bucket.

“While everybody is bothered about even a single drop of water and at the same time Chhannu uses so much water just for bathing. Why shouldn’t he? After all he wisely collected the rain water,” Passing by Chhannu’s house and seeing the water flowing into the drain Bobby again thought this and then went ahead.

On the way, as he suddenly noticed at the water collecting tank fitted on Chhannu’s terrace, he stopped in surprise.

‘The tank fitted at Chhannu’s terrace might be maximum of 5 hundred or 6 hundred liters, so in that case why the water in Chhannu’s tank never gets finish, whereas he uses 30-40 liters of water daily,” Bobby was thinking deeply. 

Bobby put his bucket down and secretly climbed up to the terrace. On the terrace he went up to the tank, open its lid and found that the tank is all empty.

“What’s this? Not a single drop of water in the tank and yet so much water is available in Chhannu’s house.’ Bobby thought and started investigating nearby Chhannu’s house. As he paid attention, he saw a pipeline laid from the pond side towards Chhannu’s house.

Noticing the pipe, Bobby understood the matter at once that Chhannu’s has dug an underground passage and fitted a pipe from the pond to his house and the water thus comes through it not from the tank.

Knowing everything now, Bobby knocked at Chhannu’s door.

“Oh! Bobby what happened? Have you again come, after seeing the water flowing out of my house drains to tell me that a water bucket has turned down,” Chhannu reacted jokingly.

“No, rather I have come to say that you are not doing right by wasting so much water. In the jungle everybody is bothered for even a single drop of water and you are wasting the pond water in this way?”

“Water from the pond? What sort of pond water? I have the tank…

“Chhannu, no good in hiding now. I have come to know everything that there is not even a single drop of water in your tank and you have connected a pipe by digging a tunnel, through which you get water in your house. You should be ashamed of doing this.” Bobby said and left from there.

Bobby’s grilling made Chhannu realize and ashamed of what he did and so he went up to Shersingh and admitted his offence.

“Chhannu, the offence you have committed cannot be forgiven, so you are…

“Mayor Sir, since there will be no benefit in giving punishment to me, I request you to give me a chance to correct my mistake.” Chhannu said in soft tone, bowing his head down.

“What chance?” Shersingh asked Chhannu staring at him.

“I wish  that by your order I may get a water collecting tank built at every terrace in Champakvan resident’s house, so that after the rains this year, there will be no shortage of water ever in the jungle.

Hearing to Chhannu’s point and after thinking for a while, Shersingh agreed.

From that very day, Chhannu started building the rain water collecting tank at every Champakvan resident home terrace at his own expense. The people also started helping him in this work by contributing some amount of water to be used in the tank construction.

Very soon, the rain water collecting tank was ready at every terrace and  in true terms, never ever there was any shortage of water in Champakvan after the rains that year.