|
|
|
Vol. 1
No. 4
October 1999
|
Quality
matters
Dr Ramachandraiah, President of The Academy of Human
Environment and Development –AHEAD, a Hyderabad-based non-government organisation,
practices what he preaches. During the monsoon of 1998, AHEAD in collaboration with
Motinagar Builders Association and Mahalakshmi Homes Welfare Association, published and
distributed a number of leaflets on rainwater harvesting (RWH) in their locality. RWH
structures in the form of pits were dug and filed with 40 mm metal and sand in the
apartment complex in Motinagar. About 60 % of the rain that fell in the complex was
trapped and used for recharge during the monsoons of 1998 and 1999.
He, however, advises a word of caution on the installation of rainwater
harvesting systems, based on personal experience. While lauding the decision of the
Hyderabad Municipal Corporation to make the construction of RWH structures mandatory in
newly constructed apartments in Hyderabad, Ramachandraiah is wary.
The problem he foresees is about the lack of responsibility, amounting to shoddy
construction and improper maintenance. In addition, he has personal experience to back his
fears. "A lot of hype has been generated about constructing RWH structures in parks
and along footpaths. Right in front of our own complex in Motinagar, there is a park under
the Kukatpally municipality.The recharge pit constructed in 1998 was badly done. The
workers spread the overburden all around the pit with the result that water cannot enter
the pit. The rainwater flowed everywhere but into the pit. The children playing in the
park have spoilt the pit. Had the municipality cared to involve the residents, the pit
could have been easily protected," he feels. This is not an isolated example. Some
recharge pits have been dug on the footpaths. One such pit is near a busy bus stop. People
now stand over the pit and this RWH structure has all but disappeared. "I am sure
that there are many more such examples," says Ramachandraiah.
Figures are basic indicators of the amount of water trapped and conserved. But these
figures are worth only on the paper they are written on if the structures are not
effectively constructed, implemented and maintained with the involvement of people.
"We have asked the Hyderabad Municipality Water Supply and Sewerage Board to form a
panel of committed persons and organisations to certify these new RWH structures,"
informs Ramachandraiah.
There is a need for stringent legal measures and Ramachandraiah makes no bones about
it. "A government order should be issued making it mandatory for most of the existing
apartment complexes and individual houses on a certain minimum plot area to implement RWH.
Deadlines should be fixed and political parties, concerned government bodies and civil
society should be involved as a movement. There should be a threat of disconnection of
water, if anybody fails to comply. The present government order makes it mandatory only
for the new complexes," he says.The potential of water demand cannot be
overemphasised. What is critical is that water harvesting structures are effective,
appropriately designed and maintained to fulfil expectations. |
Glimpses of books
 Pillar of Sand Can The Irrigation Miracle Last?
Sandra Postel. A Worldwatch Book WW Norten and Company, New York, p 313,
1999.
The book deals with one of the most daunting impacts that worldwide water scarcity will
have- the impact on food production. The book takes the reader down the ages and describes
the role water has played in civilisations, settled agriculture and the tremendous impact
irrigation has had on food production, right up to the present when dire predictions are
being made about future world wars being ‘water wars.’ Some water wars have
already been waged, like the wars between rural and urban areas, between upstream and
downstream users and between countries.
The book describes the ill effects of irrigation, where battles range from the
political arena to the farmer’s field, where too much of water has rendered fields
unproductive. The author calls for a rethink of irrigation strategies, suggesting small
structures and innovative and local technologies to meet requirements, with all users
sharing the responsibility. It describes, in detail how high cost irrigation efforts have
literally run rivers dry.
In addition to the effect on rivers, and other environmental impacts,
‘modern’ irrigation methods also disrupted existing traditional systems. The
British were responsible for much of the advance in irrigation in India. Their approach to
construct water works was on a whole new scale. Having honed their skills on building
railways and barge canals back home in England, they now attempted to turn South
Asia’s rivers out of their banks and into massive new irrigation canals in an effort
to safeguard the region from drought and famine. These efforts totally ignored and
disrupted indigenous systems that were ecologically sound. Serious flaws in the Ganga
Canal spurned on important advances in irrigation science. Pillars of Sand points the way
toward protecting rivers and vital ecosystems even as we aim to produce enough food for a
projected 8 billion people. The book shows the way ahead on how the use of innovative
technologies and strategies can alleviate hunger and environmental stress at the same
time. It also brings home the point that the most important rules of the irrigation game
are establishing how water is allotted, who gets how much and when and who manages and
how. The book deals with a subject that is drab, atleast to the uninitiated. However, the
style of presentation makes even the casual reader sit up and think. |
|