Chennai: Conflicting in the name of water boundaries and its supply is not the solution to water crises, but taking it up in our hands to conserve water, educate others and fight against water wastage, Dr Rajendra Singh, commonly touted as the Water Man of India. “We have to go back to our traditional means of conserving water, years ago, which were used by people without the knowledge of engineering and construction,” he said.
He said that in order to be more efficient at conserving water, the government should take steps to identify all the old water bodies in the state, demarcate them and notify them. “This would help in punishing encroachers on the water bodies,” he said, speaking of the numerous lakes in Tamil Nadu that are not existent today. He pointed out that traditional farmers and men in earlier periods had more understanding of the types of reservoirs and water systems than now despite not being educationally qualified unlike most people today. But, he added, extraction of water has surpassed the replenishment which has led to the imbalance in the water system today.
He also said that ‘dependency syndrome’ among the community, which causes the government to get involved, will not bring solutions. “Water is a community product, and only when people work together, can they save this product that sustains life on earth. He was speaking at a discussion on ‘Making Tamil Nadu drought resistant’ at the Goethe Institut on Saturday.
On the sidelines of the event, Sheela Shanthi Nair retired IAS officer, told DC that the focus of the government should now shift from increasing water inflow to using it sustainably. “The urban people in the state use much more water than what is needed. People should be sensitised to manage water more efficiently that address government for more water. Open wells should be revived in the state, as they help increase percolation water into the ground,” she said.
