CIVIC HERO SERIES – WATER WARRIORS

CONTENTS

Civic Hero series – water warriors ......................................................................................................................... 1

Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 1

Expected Outcomes – ........................................................................................................................................ 1

INTRODUCTION

In India, groundwater provides 80% of India’s drinking water and nearly two-thirds of irrigation needs. While

rainfall is considered to be one of the primary sources of fresh water, it is not conserved in an appropriate

manner leading to scarcity of water across the country. Studies show that the water situation could be different

if rainwater is harvested appropriately.

The increasing decline in the level of groundwater, in many parts of the country, is leading to a lot of

unsustainabilities. It has been observed that in some parts of the country the water levels are declining by over

one meter each year. Additionally, the lack of proper wastewater treatment from industrial, mining, and

domestic sources is resulting in increased contamination of groundwater, leading to potential threats to humans

as well as the ecosystems.

2. Be motivated to think and realise the importance of their contribution to solve the issue

3. Be inspired to take small steps towards despite waiting for someone else to save future

NOTE TO TEACHER –

1. Read the stories in advance

2. Explain students about the message and importance of the topic

3. Explain stories in your own words and conduct a short discussion to assess the learnings and aspirations

of students

STORY 1 -TEACHER’S WATER CONS ERVATION EFFORTS WER E LAUDED BY THE PM IN MANN KI

BAAT

Santosh Singh Negi, a Maths teacher in a government college in Pauri, Uttarakhand, was lauded by Prime

Santosh posted about this initiative on the MyGov portal, which was launched by the government with the aim

of implementing programmes through participatory democracy.

In 2012, he received a bravery award called ‘Mind of Steel’ from the Godfrey Phillips foundation. This was after

he sought information from Garhwal University under the RTI Act, to find what facilities were being provided to

the students. On finding out that students were not receiving appropriate facilities, he complained about the

same to the government, which then allocated additional funds to the university.

STORY 2 RAIN MAN: MAN WHO NEVER PAID FOR WATER

AR Shivakumar, the principal investigator for rainwater harvesting (RWH) at the Karnataka State Council, a

resident of Bengaluru, has not paid a penny for his family’s water needs for the last 20 years.

As a child in Amanghatta village in Tumkur district, Shivakumar and his sisters would wake up at dawn, to fetch

built another 5,000-litre capacity tank, which catches most of the rain water

– no other tank catches rain water as this tank. On his portico, he built the

biggest tank of 25,000-litre capacity, and then building his garage two-and-

a-half feet above ground level, he built another 10,000-litre tank.

Each tank has a pop-up filter, which Shivakumar has a patent for which

removes all the mud, muck and other particles from rain water. The overflow

from the tank goes to the portico tank, which ultimately sends it to the

garage tank. The garage tank is the only tank that uses electricity to pump

water to the roof tank.

He also ensures appliances like washing machine reuse waste water, kitchen

2. What inspires you about the stories of Water Warriors?

3. What steps can every citizen take to be a water warrior?

4. Can you as students think and do something about water conservation at your home or school?