A few environmentalists of Hassan have urged the State government to work out a programme to fill all tanks during the rainy season and take effective measures to plug leakages in the water supply lines to avoid wastage of water. The environmentalists, who have formed a forum for a campaign on water conservation, have also appealed to the government to install rainwater harvesting systems in all government buildings.
Former Rajya Sabha member H.K. Javare Gowda, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee secretary H.P. Mohan, Malenadu Janapara Horata Samiti president Kishor Kumar, writer Metikere Hiriyanna, and journalist R.P. Venkateshamurthy are among those active in the forum. Recently they held a meeting in Hassan and came out with a list of suggestions to the State government and urban local bodies. Apart from putting pressure on the government to take effective measures for water conservation, the forum has planned to conduct programmes to spread awareness among the public.
“One of the important suggestions discussed in the meeting”, Mr. Mohan told The Hindu , “was filling up tanks across the State. The government should work out a programme such that all tanks are filled up during heavy rains. The project should involve connecting tanks either through channels or pipelines so that whenever floods occur, the water does not go waste”. All tanks of Hassan district could be filled up with around 6 tmc ft. of water. Even if all tanks of one taluk in a district were filled up in one year that would be great. In a gap of four-five years, all tanks could be filled up, he said.
Helpline
The environmentalists have also suggested setting up of a helpline to check wastage of drinking water. “The public should have a helpline to complain the authorities concerned whenever they notice leakage in drinking water supply pipeline or illegal tapping of water. As there is a mechanism to check leakage of power, a similar system is required to check wastage of water”, he said. The group has requested the government promote rainwater harvesting in a big way. To begin with, all government structures should have a system to harvest rainwater, they said. “We are planning to hold a seminar involving experts in water conservation so that we can spread awareness among the public”, Mr. Mohan added.
