The Hindu : Kerala News : Water conservation drive planned

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 31, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Water conservation drive planned

By Roy Mathew

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MAY 30 . The Government is launching a drive to promote water harvesting and artificial ground water recharge in a big way in the State.

The plan is to have as many as two crores recharge pits and trenches dug across the State, besides promoting rooftop water harvesting on buildings. The Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, would inaugurate the drive for water conservation at a function to be held in the Kondotty panchayat in Malappuram district on June 5, the World Environment Day.

The programme is being undertaken as part of broad plans for water conservation under the Kerala Development Programme.

The conservation plans have been drawn up jointly by the Department of Local Self-Government and the Kerala Institute of Local Administration, Thrissur.

Campaigns have already been launched to popularise water conservation and water harvesting.

The Kerala Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency is in charge of the campaign for water harvesting.

The programme would be implemented with participation of Government departments, voluntary organisations, media and others. The Cabinet has allocated Rs. 10 crores for the project. It has also decided to introduce rainwater harvesting in all possible Government buildings, especially schools, colleges and hospitals in a phased manner.

There are plans to train master masons, Kudumbasree self-help groups and others in rainwater technologies in all districts. Rooftop water harvesting would be introduced in all areas where water is being supplied in tankers during summer.

Besides, facilities for rainwater harvesting are being made mandatory in all new buildings. The Kerala Municipality Building Rules, 1999, have been amended for this purpose. Accordingly, workable rooftop harvesting structures should be integral to every new building. The rules also specify the minimum capacity for the structures on the basis of the size and type of the building.

It is expected that measures such as these would help achieve drought proofing of the State. Kerala has an average annual rainfall of 3050 mm. Rain falling in five to 10 hectares would suffice to meet the cooking and drinking water needs of an average village in the State with population of about 14,000.

The Minister for Local Self-Government, Cherkalam Abdulla, said that efforts for water conservation with public participation had become highly necessary in view of the drought faced by the State.

Nature's balance has been upset by indiscriminate reclamation of paddy fields, water bodies and streams.

The local self-Governments had to be vigilant now as the very existence of life is under threat.

The State needed development that took care of protection of land and water bodies.

He said that agricultural officers and volunteers had been given training in water conservation measures.

Emphasis had been accorded to water conservation in the plan of local self-Governments. Water Conservation Committees and awareness programmes were being organised in all panchayats.

Besides, master plans would be prepared at the block level for water conservation in conjunction with programmes for development of water basins.

`Make running water walk': Page 5

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