NEW DELHI. An Indian government official has been suspended from his position after he gave the order to drain a water reservoir in order to retrieve his smartphone, which he had dropped while taking a selfie.
According to The Times of India newspaper, Rajesh Vishwas, a food inspector, accidentally dropped his Samsung smartphone into the Kherkatta dam in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh last week.
At first, Vishwas asked local divers to search for the device, claiming it contained sensitive government data. However, when their efforts proved unsuccessful, he requested that the reservoir be emptied using diesel pumps.
Over the course of three days, more than 2 million liters of water were pumped out from the reservoir. This amount of water would have been enough to irrigate at least 1,500 acres of land during India’s scorching summer, as reported by local media.
Videos of the incident went viral on social media, showing Vishwas sitting under a red umbrella as the diesel pumps worked to drain the water from the reservoir.
Vishwas defended his actions to local media, stating that the water in the reservoir was unsuitable for irrigation and that he had received permission from a senior official to drain it.
Despite eventually retrieving the smartphone, it was discovered to be waterlogged and would not even turn on.
Following widespread criticism for wasting water resources, authorities decided to suspend Vishwas from his position. India is already grappling with severe water scarcity, and the country is considered one of the most water-stressed nations. Extreme temperatures have resulted in crop losses, forest fires, and power cuts.
This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of responsible water usage, especially in regions facing water scarcity. It highlights the need for individuals, including government officials, to prioritize the conservation of this vital resource for the benefit of all.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
