The project has been successfully carried out on a pilot basis in Chelakkara in Thrissur.

The annual rainfall in Kerala is 3000 mm. But per capita water availability in Kerala is less than that of Tamil Nadu and even the desert-State Rajasthan. Though there has not been a huge dip in average rainfall received by the State, the duration of the rainy season has come down in the State, he stated. The Water Policy 2008 is for scientific planning and implementation of projects. But the policy alone won’t do. Proper action plan is the need of the hour. There has been an unprecedented focus on drinking water projects during the last four years.

The Rs 2600-crore JICA project, Rs 870-crore SPAN project for reviving rural drinking water projects, Rs 360-crore Special Assistance Against Recession in Kerala (SAARK) project, revival of urban projects, maintenance work of water treatment plants and pipes come under this.

But tap water alone won’t solve the drinking water shortage in the State.

Total dependence on tap water is a new culture of Kerala. This is mainly because wells, streams, springs and ponds, which once used to be drinking water sources, have become contaminated. The pollution of the water sources is a serious social issue. Every citizen has a responsibility to ensure pure drinking water and all of us should go through a self-appraisal on this matter. If you waste a single drop, you are actually depriving the right to drinking water of another individual.

Though the projects and programmes such as Water Literacy and Sujala, water conservation projects are being implemented with public participation, it does not mean that the State Government will shirk its responsibility.

The objective is to attain the goal through public awareness.