Shri Vishnu Engineering College for Women (SVECW), in association with The Hindu , celebrated the United Nation’s World Water Day on the theme of ‘Water and Jobs’ to highlight the role of water in transforming societies and economics here on Tuesday.
In the run-up to World Water Day, several awareness programmes were conducted in SVECW to draw the attention of the students and the community at large to the issue of water and the workers in the unorganised and unskilled sectors. A 3-km walk was organised from the college campus to Kovvada-Annavaram village that was adopted by the Shri Vishnu Educational Society.
The walk was flagged off by Executive Engineer, Irrigation, Godavari Western Delta, G. Srinivasa Rao. The students were enthusiastically welcomed by the villagers. Pamphlets on water conservation were distributed in the village. Deputy Director, Ground Water Department, A. Vara Prasad Rao, addressed the students and faculty on ‘Water conservation and saving’.
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Over 1,000 students participated in the awareness walk. Some of them even performed an impromptu flash mob to get the attention of the public.
The students even went to the school at Kovvada-Annavaram and explained to the children the importance of conserving water and the direct impact it had on the economy of the country and the indirect impact on jobs.
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Delivering the welcoming address, college principal G. Srinivasa Rao said that in future wars would be fought over water and not for wealth.
The Hindu Vijayawada unit head V.V. Raja Rao said: “Water is the most precious resource available on earth and that everyone is responsible for its conservation.”
He said that SVECW was a true “temple of learning” and more such institutions were necessary.
Food grains production
Mr. Vara Prasad Rao, who was chief guest of the occasion, said that India needed to double the production of food grains by 2060.
In the early 19th century, the population of the country was 24 crore, but now it crossed 125 crore.
“It is expected to reach 164 crore in the next few years. Unless food production is doubled, the demand for food cannot be met,” he added.
The richness of India was in its rich water resources. He said steps should be taken to ensure that there was no overuse, misuse, and ineffective use of water in daily life. While life with water becomes a celebration, life without it becomes an untold misery, he said. He administered the pledge of water conservation to the students and exhorted them to live by it.
Vice-principal P. Srinivasa Raju, proposed a vote of thanks. A pictorial exposition on the theme of water conservation was held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the college.
Prizes were distributed to the winners of elocution, essay-writing, and poster presentation on themes of Water Conservation, Water and Environment, and Water and Jobs respectively. In all, 2,000 students participated in the UN World Water Day Celebrations.
The first prize in elocution was bagged by M. Neeharika Singh of I ECE-A. and K. Srineha of I ECE-A won the first prize in essay-writing. The first prize for poster presentation was given jointly to G. Uma Sarvani and P. Mani Madhuri.