Arrest groundwater depletion to conserve water: ZP CEO

Udupi Zilla Panchayat CEO Shivanada Kapashi said that water is an important requirement for sustenance and is thus it is the responsibility of every individual to conserve water.

Speaking after inaugurating an awareness workshop organised to conserve water here on Wednesday, the zilla panchayat CEO said that water is misused and the ground water level is depleting drastically.

He lamented that despite people knowing about the problems encountered due to a scarcity of water, the water stored underground is being overused.

Delivering the keynote address, Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) Civil Engineering department Professor Dr Narayan Shenoy said that India is second among the highest rain receiving countries in the world with 117 centimetres of average rainfall.

Despite the heavy rain, the country is experiencing drought and people are responsible for the same, he said.

Stating that awareness on conserving water is the need of the hour, he said that there are more than 2,100 rivers and more than 1,500 Snow Rivers and there are another 13 lakh man-made ponds in India. "But sadly, all these water bodies are polluted due to extensive contamination. In fact dead bodies are thrown into Ganga River. Every year, nearly 40,000 half-burnt dead bodies are dropped in the river. The rapid industrialisation and poor drainage systems have maligned the water bodies," he said.

He added that over 2.97 lakh farmers have committed suicide. Nearly 67% of the country's population is facing severe drought.

He added that in order to save farmers, Mahatma's model should be adopted to frame agricultural policies.

Stating that the future generations should not be made to suffer, the ZP CEO said that the present generation should handle the water crisis cautiously.