Kalam's Letter_water For Future

I could not open the pdf file -Kalam's Letter_water For Future sent by saveena . But thanks to Mrs Sunkan I got the content in nut shell.

Being a post graduate in economics with agricultural economics as the optional subject which had water conservation and management - a chapter in the syllabus, 23 years back - kindled my interest and since then I have been nurturing this by reading and analysing the same. So whenever I get a chance, either I express my thoughts to the people who are interested in this topic. Here I found one and so I would like to take this opportunity to express my views and thoughts. Thanks saveena for initiating this topic.

Water Conservation Becomes a Necessity and need of the hour

First of all, let me not bring the water dispute between the states here as it is political to the core and it is not going to get resolved in near future. Here let us think what we as a group or an individual or as a citizen of India can do to the nations future water situation. SMALL DROPS MAKE MIGHTY OCEAN.

The necessity for water conservation by agriculture, industry, and individuals is becoming more real every day. A litre of water saved is equivalent to a litre of water added to the system by additional supply – but a litre saved is cheaper, quicker to find and involves lower greenhouse gas emissions. The GOVT, also knows year after year, every summer, both the rural and urban areas of almost all states in India reel under water shortages. In the coastal areas the problem is further compounded by salinity ingress into ground water aquifers. They also know the monsoon months. So before summer starts why cannot they clean up the ponds, lakes, small canals and streams which lead to these lakes and ponds and make them ready to store the water during monsoon. This is what our Nature Scientist (Iyarkai Vingyani) Nammazhwar has been echoing for years. But in vain. The government machinery responds with its usual quick fix solutions by providing water through lorries, trucks and trains which is ONLY TEMPORARY AND THIS IS NOT A SOLUTION FOR EVER, THE GOVT AS WELL AS EVERY INDIVIDUAL SHOULD UNDERSTAND THIS. While a large number of people continue to depend on the Rain Gods or the government water tankers, in some areas people have begun to take the matter in their own hands realising that Implementing a water conservation plan is a necessity. For example...

In Gandhigram, a coastal village in Kutch district, the villagers had been facing a drinking water crisis for the past 10 to 12 years. The groundwater table had fallen below the sea level due to over-extraction and the seawater had seeped into the ground water aquifers. The villagers formed a village development group, Gram Vikas Mandal. The Mandal took a loan from the bank and the villagers contributed voluntary labor (Shramdan). A check dam was built on a nearby seasonal river, which flowed past the village. Apart from the dam, the villagers also undertook a micro-watershed project. Due to these water retention structures, the villagers now have sufficient drinking water, and 400 hectares of land, which earlier lay barren, has come under irrigation.

Similar examples of people’s initiative in organizing rainwater harvesting can also be seen in the two villages of Khopala and Jhunka in Bhavnagar district of Saurashtra.

A noteworthy example of students' participation in such an endeavor took place in 1995–98 at Bhavnagar University under the guidance of the, then Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Vidyut Joshi. The coastal city of Bhavnagar was facing a severe drinking water shortage. Prof. Joshi initiated the digging of a percolation tank in the university premises. About 650 students, 245 teachers and other employees of the university worked as voluntary labor. During the following monsoon, all the bore wells in the university as well as those in the adjoining areas were recharged.

In the South, A women from Coimbatore has taken initiative to link all the water bodies around coimbatore along with her supporters and well wishers. Before starting the project she had looked in to the map of the water system of olden days and she was stunned and amazed to learn the high tech and forethought and planning of our ancestors. All the small streams and canals had been linked and emptied in a large lake which has gone dry over the years. The local people did not have any hope of retriving the lake. Now after this project during recent showers the lake has got filled up and the local people are very happy and have got hope and have joined hands with the group.

These success stories have proved that management of water resources by the end users themselves can lead to sustainable benefits. Such community-based systems of resource management are not new to society. They have been practiced by many traditional communities all over the world, but are gradually being replaced by ‘modern’ centralized systems of resource management. One is reminded of what a great Indian poetess, Mahadevi Verma, once said: ‘it is not possible for us to take a step forward without putting one foot firmly on the ground’.

Conservation should come naturally. Yet in most of the places it doesn't.. The urge to conserve seems to fade with the heavy rain showers which occur sparcely. So what can we do or What is our role in this? We shouldn't need the GOVT to tell us to do what is right. The following are some of the steps we can take as individuals.

1. We must be conscious of the water we use while cleaning, washing and bathing.
2. Low-flow toilets, Install a dual-flush toilet, if you don't already have one. conserving water by installing water-efficient appliances in toilets, For a family of four, this can save over 35,000 litres a year.
3. Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth and shaving. Save 4,000 litres of water a year (if you brush for 3 minutes). Instead, use a glass of water to rinse your mouth. And remember to turn off the tap while shaving, and save up to 3,500 litres per year.
4. Install a 3 star water-efficient showerhead. Save up to 13,500 litres of water per person each year (based on a seven minute shower average). Halve your shower time and save 8 per cent of your water
5. If you’re buying a new washing machine, make sure it has at least a four-star water efficiency rating. recycling water from washing machines. Did you know that front-loading washing machines are typically the most water efficient, using up to 50 per cent less water? Make sure each washing machine cycle is full and use an economy setting. Washing machines use about 120 litres of water per load. You can reduce this amount by adjusting the water level to suit the size of the load of washing.
6. Install a rainwater tank and connect it to your toilet, laundry and garden hose. Tanks are available in a various sizes and styles
7. Alternative landscaping ,using drip irrigation in the gardens and common-sense water usage
8. Educating and training our children as well as helpers to use water economically are steps that all residents should be taking right now.
9. Avoid using shampoo or soap while bathing in falls, rivers, streams or ponds
10. Avoid throwing plastics and wastes in the water bodies. Throw only bio degradable things on the soil not in water bodies in the name of pooja or sacred.

As Gandhiji has put that every effort should start from the grass root level This way we start from the grass root level and a small role we play for the society and GOVT in the effort of conserving water if not larger projects as said above.

Just give a thought… our ancestors were very good in water management and had planned and preserved for their future generation too by storing water and living in tune with nature. But what we have done for our future generation? Nothing. Infact we have dried all most all the ground water table. The Govt sanctions building of more and more huge flats and most of the builders construct without leaving even an inch of natural soil or ground. Especially in Chennai city and of course other cities too. Hi Technonology has invaded and All cultivable lands are now chaning to buildings. A considerable loss in ground water sources and this has affected the staple food cultivation. Agricultural scientists have said that the present stock of grains are only for 2 or three months. So for future food in capsules? Let us resolve.

Let’s make conserving and managing water resources a lifelong habit. With the ongoing challenges of drought and climate change, saving water must be a lifelong habit for every individual.

(I have taken some of the information about the projects from the articles published in the internet.)
Geeth