It is essential to conserve water, Governor K Rosaiah told students as he inaugurated the 4th State-level painting competition for school children at Central Leather Research Institute on Monday. The competition was themed Water Conservation Year 2013.
Considering India’s population, Rosaiah said, the government was giving due importance to providing food, water, and shelter to its citizens.
“It has been estimated that by 2015, India would require 1180 BCM (km3) of water, against the average annual availability of 1123 BCM at present. What is worrying is that water resources are likely to become more vulnerable due to climate change and excessive groundwater extraction. We should have a long term plan to conserve water for the future generation,” he said.
He also noted that the unrestrained utilisation of groundwater resources had led to reduction of water levels, drying up of shallow wells and deterioration in water quality. “At present there is an urgent need to create awareness and educate public about the importance of water conservation and the issues that the water sector faces,” he said. He lauded the efforts of the State for overall groundwater development. He also complimented the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) of Ministry of Water Resources, which had organised the painting competition for children.
“A painting is equivalent to thousand words. Beautiful paintings in vivid colours would carry a message on the need for water conservation, laying emphasis on rainwater harvesting, recycling and reuse of water,” said Rosaiah.
The competition is for students from classes six to eight. About 5 lakh children from 9,225 schools from the State are expected to participate.
E Sampath Kumar, regional director, Central Ground Water Board, South Eastern Coastal Region, Chennai, was also felicitated for organising the competition.
