DON’T WASTE WATER, IT IS HARAM!

Anything that is intentionally wasted is a forbidden (haram) act. And any forbidden act committed is punishable… either by the state that forbids it in its laws and statues, or by the religion that does not allow it. The state has penal code for such a commission of crime. In the case of religion, Islam has penalization for it too. The State uses its police powers. Islam unless it is the government of the land has only the Hereafter to warn, and for it to punish the perpetrator has to seek the help of the state.

Few days ago, a media group did a documentary in Lumbaca Unayan, the youngest municipality of Lanao del Sur, though it did not look like one. 

Its state of affairs had the more become a let-down as the rain did not come down a couple of weeks. It seemed a matter of a couple of weeks is already a drought in that upland. Crops planted seemed weathering and many plants had died already making the farmers of the area worry of their livelihood.

This situation is not actually their own exclusive lot. Across the lake, the wetland paddies were also withering due to the absence of rain.

Another problem besetting the populace since time immemorial is the lack of safe drinking water. Only the City of Marawi has a water work system that provide water to the city populace, even then many households are not being served completely by the water system.

What is ironic in this sad situation is that the province of Lanao del Sur has the biggest freshwater lake in the country, the only lake of its kind which is classified as triple “A” kind of water. 

And another absurdity is that while safe water is scarce, so many of our people are wasting waters just because they are paying flat rate of whatever volume they can consume.

Similar with the way they are wasting light just because they pay Lasureco in flat rate or the belief they own the lake that supply energy to two-thirds of the Island.

Whatever alibi we say in defence of wasting water and light for that matter is “ishraf.” It is haram because this is an unscrupulous practice that will make the world difficult for men to live in and anyone wasting water deliberately is responsible and answerable to His Creator who provides water for life.