Deccan Chronicle 29.12.2009

Dec. 28: The BWSSB obviously believes in catching them young. Its chairman, P.B. Ramamurthy has written to 1100 schools, and is in the process of dashing off letters to 1000 colleges to persuade them to start rainwater harvesting clubs.

Already around 50 schools in the city have such clubs, according to S. Vishwanath of Rainwater Club. “We have conducted workshops on rainwater harvesting in over 50 schools,” he says.

Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness(CMCE), an NGO, is also promoting rainwater harvesting among the civic clubs it has encouraged 35 private and 25 government schools to set up, according to Deepa Padmakumar, co-coordinator of CMCE ( private schools).

While children of a civic club in Little Flower public school in Banashankari have persuaded the management to adopt rainwater harvesting in its grounds, children of Janak Vidhyalaya on Bannerghatta Road too have succeeded in convincing their school management to adopt the practice.

Baldwin’s Boys’ School students have convinced their authorities to construct a recharge pit, adds Ms Padmakumar.

“While the children were initially shy, they became bolder when they realised that they were actually making a difference,” she says, welcoming the BWSSB’s initiative to promote rainwater harvesting clubs in schools.

Meanwhile around 8000 houses in the city have started rainwater harvesting, since it became mandatory through a gazette notification issued on August 27.

The BWSSB has set a May 27 deadline for existing buildings on 60 X 40 sites and all new buildings coming up on 30 X 40 sites, which have a water connection to start rainwater harvesting in their grounds.

Mr.Ramamurthy has also appealed to the chief secretary and all the departmental heads to adopt rainwater harvesting in all government buildings.

Making sure that it does as it preaches, the water board has introduced rainwater harvesting in 20 of its own buildings and intends to extend it to its other 40 buildings as well. All assistant executive engineers have been asked to give monthly reports on the number of houses which have adopted the practice, BWSSB sources said.