more-in Shivakumar A.R., Principal Scientific Officer, Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST), said on Monday that even regions that were once receiving heavy rainfall were now experiencing water scarcity. He was speaking at the inaugural function of a workshop for district-level officers on water conservation organised by the district administration here. Mr. Shivakumar said the problem of water scarcity arose because people did not respect water resources. “It is wrong to pollute water. Even the groundwater table was affected by borewells and many of these are not even yielding water today,” he said. Many schools in Udupi district had created good models of water conservation under the Suvarna Jala Yojane. It was essential to turn these ideas into a reality. Also essential was the conservation of rain water. People should understand that water was not their property, and something they must protect for future generations. One could conserve 8.45 lakh litres of water from a roof of a 40x60 house, he said. Priyanka Mary Francis, Deputy Commissioner, said Udupi should become a water-protected district. The engineers of various government departments should jointly come up with a plan to address water shortage and conservation. They should come up with designs that promote water conservation in anganwadis, student hostels and individual houses. She said she would get grants for the implementation of such designs. Ms. Francis said officers of urban local bodies should check if all multi-storied buildings were following guidelines on rain water harvesting. It was essential to provide information on water conservation on the lines of waste segregation and garbage disposal in the towns. This would help the district in the long run, she added. Dinakar Babu, president, zilla panchayat, said it was essential to give importance to dredging of lakes, tanks and wells to increase the groundwater table. Elected representatives and officers had failed to understand the importance of water. Hence, there was failure in managing water resources. It was essential to create awareness among people about the importance of water conservation. Youth organisations should be roped in to create awareness, Mr. Babu said. Sheela K. Shetty, vice-president, zilla panchayat, Nagesh Raikar, Deputy Secretary, and Srinivas Rao, Chief Planning Officer, were present.

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