Inspired by sessions on water conservation awareness camps in schools, several students have taken the lead in saving water -drop by drop.While some have stopped taking bath under showers, a few prodded their parents to plug holes in pipelines and taps at home.
It only takes a little effort to save water, said 14-year-old Rohan Bhamare. He realised the importance of saving water after participating in a lecture in his school.
“I enjoyed the session because it was informative. I learnt it is possible for each one of us to help save water.Even bathing in bucket water instead of standing under a shower can save several litres.We are passing through a drought-like situation and it makes sense to save whatever little we can,“ he said.
Shashikant Dalvi, an expert on rainwater harvesting, has been visiting schools to spread awareness about water conservation from July . He simply loved the students’ response -positive and encouraging.
“Since July, I have interacted with over 2,000 students in the age group of 13 to 16 years in various schools around the city. I was happy to see they were willing to not only adopt environment-friendly initiatives themselves, but were eager to share the tips with their parents,“ he said.
Dalvi believes every citizen must do hisher bit to pre vent wastage of water and replenish water reserves for future use. He and other water experts want the civic administration to be strict about implementing water conservation techniques.
“Rainwater harvesting is compulsory for all government and public buildings, but it has not been taken up seriously till now. Lakhs of litres of water can be ploughed back into the ground, or even kept for quick use by this simple technique. The Pune Municipal Corporation must spread awareness about its benefits through ward offices, schools and colleges,“ he said.
Taking the “water tight“ situation into count, several residential societies have taken initiatives to avoid wastage.Ravindra Sinha, the secretary of Baner Pashan Link Road Vikas Samiti, said: “We are all aware of the water crisis due to the rainfall deficit this monsoon. While the government authorities have announced strict measures like alternateday water supply , many societies in our area have taken steps at their level to save water. They have stopped the operations of swimming pools and restricted water supply to a few hours daily .“
Baner Pashan Link Road Vikas Samiti is a group of 53 residential societies housing almost 10,000 citizens.
Suneel Joshi, the state coordinator for Jal Biradari, hailed the initiatives of the Samiti.
“Each individual has to do his or her bit to save water.Thousands of litres of precious water are wasted in kitchens and bathrooms everyday . It can be saved if water is used judiciously . We must also educate our domestic helps to not run the tap when not required,“ said Joshi, a firm believer in transforming water conservation into a mission across the entire country .
Source : TOI
