Only one turbine in six sewage treatment tanks is in working condition at the plant on the Beach Road and broken pump equipment has not been replaced for the last few years. Finally only the birds are happy with the sewage treatment plant because the waste is releasing to sea without any treatment, says Dr. Patrick Mc Namara.
A research fellow in Nebraska Water Leaders Academy and a Fulbright Nehru Senior Scholar in India, Dr Mc Namara delivered a lecture on “Water Management in India: Conflict or Cooperation” at GITAM University on Wednesday.
Dwelling on the good, the bad and the ugly side of Indian water resource management, he observed that ancient tanks in Indian villages and step wells in Rajasthan were still major water resources for people, a statement issued by the university said. He said that because of erratic monsoon conditions water tables were drastically coming down in the country and on the other hand, open sewers, open defecation, poor enforcement of environmental regulations were big problems affecting water resources.
Praising the Prime Minister’s initiative, Ganga Cleaning Project, he suggested that the first phase should start from Kanpur, a major town polluting the river, instead of Varanasi.
He said the entire world was watching how the Indian government would implement the project because if it was successful they want to follow the same in their countries to clean their rivers.
Principal of the GITAM Institute of Management K. Sivaramakrishna said that water management was crucial to avoid conflicts between states and safe drinking water was a fundamental right. Director, Evaluation, Yathirajkumar spoke.
