more-in KOCHI: The district administration on Wednesday formally announced its major drought mitigation programme under which 100 ponds will be revived in 50 days. The project was announced at a meeting held at Fine Arts Hall. The initiative, being taken up in association with Cochin Shipyard, will get under way on April 2. Inaugurating the meeting, district panchayat president Asha Sanil said the project, which was set to cover all local bodies, would go a long way in fighting drought effectively. “Several local bodies are reeling under severe water shortage, and the situation is likely to worsen in the coming months. Apart from reviving the almost abandoned ponds, steps should be taken to maintain them, a work which could be part of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme,” Ms. Anil said. District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla called upon local residents to take up the responsibility of preserving water bodies in their respective areas rather than treating it as the duty of the district administration alone. “There have been several instances where water bodies lapse into disuse after being revived,” he said. The district administration plans to cover at least one pond in every local body under the project. “Taking cue from it, local bodies and residents should revive the remaining water bodies. Voluntary organisations, National Service Scheme volunteers, students, and youth will be drafted for the project,” Mr. Safirulla said. SCMS Water Institute director Sunny George emphasised the need for conducting water auditing and assessing water assets in each area. Cochin Shipyard General Manager M.D. Varghese said the funds for the project would be made available under the company’s corporate social responsibility programme. People’s representatives from various local bodies who attended the meeting gave suggestions on the project.

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