Basar to become India's first water literate village
By Newsmeter Network Published on 18 Feb 2020 11:54 AM GMT
Hyderabad: The 100 per cent digital literate village, Basar, is set to bag a new title. The village is soon expected to become India’s first 100 per cent water literate village.
The Telangana Information Technology Association (TITA) has now embarked on a water literacy campaign that aims to create awareness about water, its use, conservation, and effective management. The curriculum for the awareness programme will be designed by the Water and Land Management Training and Research Institute (Walamtari). Rajendra Singh, the "Waterman of India", Raman Magsaysay Award winner and Stockholm Water Prize winner will support the programme.
Launching the campaign at Basar, Mr Singh said, “Water conservation is the responsibility of all stakeholders, including farmers, students, and the general public. Basar is already identified as 100 per cent digital literate village and the same spirit will be required for the water literacy campaign.”
TITA, which conducted the digital literacy drive earlier will take up the water literacy campaign. It will begin at Basar from the first week of March and will cover the population of about 8,000 people. According to TITA founder and global president Sundeep Kumar Makthala the objective of the programme will be to achieve 100 per cent water literacy in the village. It will cover sources of water, its right use, conservation, and management. It will also include river system, groundwater recharging, and steps to be taken to maintain the water table. Mr Makthala said, “The campaign assumes significance as effective water management is enlisted in the sustainable development goals of the United Nations.”
Speaking on the occasion, Telangana Water Resources Development Corporation chairman V. Prakash Rao said that 84 per cent of farmers are dependent on groundwater and rain for cultivation. The canal irrigation system is not reaching the last ayacut and there is a need to create awareness to make optimum use of the irrigation system.
