Tata Pipes, a division of Tata Steel as part of the Tata Pipes Parivaar Water Conservation Project, held a seminar on rainwater harvesting, 'Water is Life' in Bangalore today. Mr. Srinivas Reddy Managing Director, Karnataka Urban Water Supply & Drainage Board (KUWSDB) inaugurated the seminar. Other speakers included, Mr. M N Vidyashankar, Commissioner of Bangalore Development Authority, Tata Pipes spokesperson, Mr DPS Kapoor and Mr. Vishwanath S, Coordinator & Trustee of CIVIC.

Tata Pipes Parivaar Water Conservation Project, a nationwide campaign to create awareness on water conservation was launched last year on the occasion of the World Environment Day. The campaign's target is to awaken society to the need of using water sensibly by avoiding mismanagement and wastage. The campaign was executed through a wide variety of communication materials including posters, leaflets, bathroom stickers, car stickers, banners and hoardings. The campaign was executed by field teams who placed the communication materials across prominent locations including retail establishments, hotels, housing complexes, educational institutions, road intersections, etc. The campaign was undertaken in the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata.

Water table reports in Karnataka point towards an impending crisis of water. Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) is looked upon as a viable solution and has become a buzzword. Falling groundwater level and pollution have affected the quality of water across the state. On June 6, 2004, Bangalore became the first city in the state to include RWH in its byelaws. The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike Building byelaws have made rainwater harvesting mandatory in new buildings. This specification also ensures that the cost of implementing rainwater harvesting does not exceed one percent of the total cost of the construction, thus ensuring economic viability. With groundwater levels fast depleting, rooftop rainwater harvesting makes sound ecological and financial sense, Bangalore seems to have taken the lead in this form of water harvesting.

The seminar being held on the eve of World Environment Day aims to sensitise the society about depleting ground water resources in Karnataka and the need to harvest rainwater extensively. The seminar brought to light the relevance of rainwater harvesting in a situation where there is acute water scarcity. The continued commitments of the Tata Group to its Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR), as a means for building sustainable societies and communities for national progress, influences group companies like Tata Steel to design and implement social processes.