Water best conserved by Communities
- experts tell school students

“Water is a “puncha bhutah” noted environmentalist, Ms Medha Patkar told school students, teachers and citizens of Jamshepdur at the finals of the countrywide debate organised by the Association of British Scholars (ABS) and sponsored by Tata Steel’s Tube Division on “Responsibility of preventing conflict over water rests with the Government” A panel discussion on the subject

Ms Medha Patkar makes her point about communities taking on responsibility to protect water sources

Mr B Muthuraman releases a publication on water
  produced by the Association of British Scholars

A proud moment for the winners of the Tata Steel
Rolling Trophy

was held immediately after the finals of the school-level debate. The discussion saw eminent activists, government officials and representatives of the media present their point of view.

“Who owns water?” asked Mr Umesh Anand, Editor, Civil Society magazine while declaring that in its quest to privatise water supply or the removal of garbage in the National Capital, the Delhi Government had not taken into consideration the poor. “Privatisation must go to the last man,” Mr Anand affirmed.

If water is a life support, any act against it is an act against society,” declared Ms Medha Patkar. Mineral water factories deplete water from underground aquifers, which are many generations old, by as much as 5,00,000-15,00,000 litres a day. Though the water is bottled at a cost of 50 to 70 paisa, yet the consumer is charged as much as Rs. 10,” she told an astonished audience.

If there is a conflict related to water, then it is raised by those who first feel the impact of being deprived of this resource. “Don’t be scared of conflict, otherwise no landless will ever get land,” Ms Patkar advised while sharing her experiences from the Narmada Bachao Andolan and as a member of an elite 12-member World Bank Multi-Stakeholder Committee.

While urging the community to be at the forefront of water conservation, Ms Patkar said natural resources are the real “punji” or asset of the community, therefore the first right and first responsibility to protect it lies with the members of the community. “Catching the catchment or large scale harvesting of rain water by local communities is the answer to the chronic water scarcity,” Ms Patkar averred “and not mega river-linking projects.”

“Decentralisation of water harvesting” concurred Dr D Chakravarty of the Ministry of Water, Government of India,” is much better than river linking. The Government, therefore, has a complementary and not a competitive role to play in this effort,” he revealed, by working with the community to conserve and harvest water at the local level.

Earlier, finalists from the regional rounds of the debate had presented their view points through well articulated and researched speeches. The “Best Speaker” and the winner of the national level award was Ms Nitisha Begra of Little Flower School, Jamshedpur, while the second prize was won by Ms Ankita of Mangalore. The Managing Director, Mr B Muthuraman and the chief guest at the event gave away the prizes to the winners. He also urged all visiting school students, teachers and parents to take this opportunity to witness for themselves the magnitude of Tata Steel’s business and social activities.