Preparing for rainy season and rain water harvest.
Literally almost all over Jaipur roads have been built stronger and stronger streaching upto last corners of the street. No chance of water going down in the ground water reservoirs. People have modernsied their houses by putting stone flooring leaving almost nil space for "kitchen garden " or "lawns ". The concrete jungles do not hold water. With vegetation on hills almost gone the soils from the hills come down along with rain water and fill the dams. This is main reason why Ramgarh dam is gone, and other dams of Rajasthan are going to meet the same fate.
Once I was arguing with group of people not to remove a single tree of peepal (Ficus religiosa ) . People kept on arguing with me that nothing will happen if one tree is removed. During construction of highways hundreds and thousands of trees have been removed ?.
However still I could not convince them that cutting a tree will harm the climate . My last argument was that if man or women destroy religious tree the curse of God may fall on him or her.
It prevailed . The tree was saved. But what is curse of God . If we cut all the trees the earth will be no more habitable and all human beings will vanish as human body cannot survive beyond 50 degree centigrade. Plants help in keeping environment cool.
When I was student in 1965 and lived in hostel we never needed a fan in the room as it was always a cold breeze from forested hills surrounding Jaipur. Mining activities of Jhalana have destroyed hill vegetation now the hills act as reflectors and their stones are heated and Jaipur temperature goes upto 45 degrees or more. The wind is like a "LOO" hot and dry desert wind .
Those who are living in Jaipur would confirm people needed blanket or quilt duing night as Jaipur will get so cool even in the month of May and June . This was just in 1960s. Jaipur Hotel and Basant hotel in the city centre are witness to this phenomenon and the owners charged for quilts even in the month of May and June. .
Save rain water to survive.
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