Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Judicious use is the message on World Water Day

Special Correspondent

Water provided to the public at 25 locations in the city

PLIGHT OF A LIFELINE: Students performing a street play on River Noyyal at the World Water Day celebrations organised by Siruthuli in the city on Thursday. (Right) An old man quenches his thirst at a drinking water stall (thaneer pandal) set up on t he occasion. - Photos: K. Ananthan

COIMBATORE: A street play on the plight of River Noyyal marked the World Water Day observance here on Thursday. Drinking water was provided to the public at 25 locations in the city. The message was that March 22, on which the day was observed, should actually be a day of introspection and stocktaking - on how people spent water.

A street play by students was organised by Siruthuli, a public initiative to conserve water resources, to draw the attention of the public to the encroachments on and pollution of the river.

A white flowing cloth held by the participants depicted the days during which the river flowed 140 km from Kooduthurai here to Noyyal village in Erode where it joined River Cauvery. Another set of students held a black cloth to show the bad days into which the river had fallen. Plastic and meat waste dumped into it and other forms of pollution were highlighted.

`Save it'

"Water was given to draw the attention of the people to the need to conserve it," Siruthuli's Managing Trustee Vanita Mohan said. "During times of abundance, we should not squander water. We should save it for times of scarcity."

"A woman from the Nilgiris, who alighted from a bus at Saibaba Colony, gave Rs. 20 for our water resources conservation initiative. The thirsty woman was happy to have a glass of water and the contribution was in return for that," Ms. Mohan said.

Local bodies too should play a key role in water auditing. They should take to the people the message of judicious use of water, she said.

While listing out measures to avert drinking water scarcity during summer, Mayor R. Venkatachalam said people should use it only for drinking and cooking purposes. Bore well water could be used for washing.

The Mayor was referring to the tendency to use drinking water for gardens and even to wash cars. Wastewater could be recycled for use in gardens and toilets, Ms. Mohan pointed out.

Educate people

Veerakeralam panchayat president V.T. Bakthavathsalam noted that more wastewater flowed from houses on days when drinking water was supplied. There was a need to educate people on judicious use, he said.

Consultant in pollution control N. Rammoorti said most of the wastewater from industries, hotels, institutions and dwellings was discharged into water resources such as rivers and canals.

He stressed effective treatment of wastewater before being let into water bodies.

Partial drainage system

Small local bodies that could not afford big treatment plants could go in for a partial drainage system.

Under this, untreated wastewater could be collected close to the water resource and treated for the removal of inorganic matter. The treated water, including effluents from industries, could be disinfected. The water could be used even for irrigation.

Ms. Mohan said valuable lessons could be learnt from the way Israel managed its water resources.

"Israeli agriculture production is five to six times more than India. This is a pointer to their effective water management."

Preventing wastage through leak in water lines should be an important task for local bodies. "It is not just a leak in many roadside taps. It is a steady flow, and this points to the substantial wastage," she said.

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