The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : People's participation `key to water conservation'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 22, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

People's participation `key to water conservation'

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, MARCH 21. People's participation is the key to conserving water bodies that are ravaged by encroachments and large scale dumping of waste, said experts at a seminar held here on Sunday .

Community awareness and involvement can go a long way in not only preserving the over 3,000 water bodies in Chennai and adjoining districts, but also preventing water-borne diseases , they said .

Chennai faces a two-fold problem — water scarcity and health problems related to consumption of unsafe drinking water.

The seminar on "Fresh water ... Fresh initiatives," was organised by Water X, Eureka Forbes's knowledge centre on drinking water, ahead of World Water Day on Tuesday.

M. B. Nirmal, founder-chairman of Exnora International, illustrated how residents in Pammal got together to save a community pond.

However, such success stories are few and far between, as most water bodies are contaminated with sewage. Mr. Nirmal said the Velachery lake had drastically shrunk from the original 250 acres to 60 acres due to constant degradation.

S. Balaji, Director, Department of Environment, spelt out the steps being taken under the Chennai City River Conservation Project to protect the city's primary waterways.

Chairing a session on critical awareness of health issues related to water and water borne diseases and the role of doctors, N. S. Vyas, consultant, World Health Organisation, highlighted the core issues pertaining to water quality.

M.A. Thirunarayan, head, microbiology, Apollo Hospitals, provided an update on water borne diseases.

Hotel group's gesture

The Chola Sheraton, the ITC Hotel Park Sheraton and Towers of ITC Welcomgroup will also conduct special programmes to promote public awareness on water conservation.

At Chola Sheraton, an exhibition on water conservation will be held at WelcomArt Gallery featuring pamphlets and drip irrigation kits, besides rainwater harvesting systems. At Park Sheraton, guests would be given pamphlets and water harvesting and water management posters.

A session on water management and methods of domestic rainwater harvesting would be held by a faculty member of Anna University's Centre for Water Resources.

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