Monsoon has arrived in some parts of the country. Due to global warming, climatic conditions have been unpredictable and it is felt that immediate action be taken to harvest whatever quantity of rain that falls on earth. Ground water is diminishing and people are finding it difficult to find water even after digging a borewell to a depth of 400 to 800 meters. Existing borewells in Mysuru city have dried up due to reasons of over-exploitation, lack of rejuvenation through percolation of rain water etc. According to reports, one hour good rainfall over one square kilometer soil, if properly harvested and stored, can supply water to 300 families for 3 months. That is the power of rain and may be in our city the administration harvest this rain. In a letter, city-based Environmentalist and Social Activist Vasanthkumar Mysoremath has appealed to Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), MUDA and other agencies which have vast land parcel available to implement Rain Water Harvesting (RWH). “Government is the biggest landlord in India. Various authorities in Mysuru are also in possession of huge tracts of unused land around various government places, example, Government Guest House in Nazarbad, Maharaja’s,Yuvaraja and Maharani’s colleges, People’s, Dr.Rajkumar and Dr.Vishnuvardhan Parks and in many unkempt parks in most extensions and lands around Chamundi Hill slope, etc.,” he has stated in the letter. He has appealed for necessary directions to authorities concerned to take up creating small ponds, simple scientific soak pits that may be dug up with the help of JCBs wherever vacant lands are lying unused. If necessary, water experts may be consulted for harvesting the runaway rain water for replenishing the depleting ground water. If this is done and Government authorities become a role model, citizens would come forward and do their bit since there is a palpable awareness in the minds of people about the imminent sufferings if there is no good monsoon, he said.
