PM supports a Hyderabadi to spread her message far and wide on Water Conservation

Hyderabad: Buoyed by the adulation she has been receiving from one and all, Kalpana Ramesh is energised. "It has been eight years since I took up water conservation. It is not a six-month fantasy. After receiving a call from the Prime Minister's Office, I felt all the hard work paid off. This is a huge push. I feel empowered. What more can one ask for? This would help a great deal in taking forward the mission," she beams while recounting her feelings.

Seeing for herself city's utter dependence on tankers and water cans, she hit upon the idea of harvesting rainwater, as it all takes is: Channelising rainwater from rooftops to a storage tank reduces dependence on tankers. All that is required is outflow pipes from the terrace to a sump. The water passes through a small filter bed of coal and sand to remove soil and leaves and flows into the storage tank. Since she installed a tank in her house in the Gachibowli area to collect rainwater, her family no longer requires tankers.

Innovation in rainwater harvesting

There is a need for innovation in rainwater harvesting methods. It is high-time we started speaking about non-maintenance systems and modular harvesting is the way out. Kalpana says, "People do not have the time for yearly maintenance. The modules come with a 25-year guarantee. Just the micro filters need to be cleaned which can be done within minutes." She adds, "One just needs to connect the dead bores to the inline filter.

The advantage is one can collect, store and infiltrate rain water for later use. The hassle of maintenance is minimal and the top surface could be used as a garden or a car park."

Presently, modular rainwater harvesting is being implemented at Vesella property near Taramati Baradari and a proposal to set up one at CBIT is in the pipeline, informed Kalpana.

Sensitising students

In an effort to reach out to the young, Kalpana who is involved with Society for Advancement of Human Endeavour (SAHE) conducts 'Waterpreneur workshops'. "We are working with Grade 6 students of Silver Oak School and explain the importance of rainwater harvesting. We also take them to stepwells for a thorough understanding of age-old techniques.

Block-by-block campaign

The idea is to reach out to all the areas in the city and we wish to do it block by block and widen the circle, says Kalpana. "More and more women need to come forward. Women manage water in their homes, once they join in, a lot can be done. We plan to start campaigns in each block and keep widening the circle," she adds. Nearly 70 per cent of our sewage goes untreated. Rainwater harvesting is the only solution to stay away from contamination, she says as she signs off.