NGO taps into people’s commitment for cleaner waterbodies

Arun Krishnamurthy of Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI) said that in 2016 and 2017, 39 waterbodies were restored. “We are planning to crowdsource information from people and restore 50 water bodies across all the southern states in 2018. We will be restoring five ponds each in Puducherry, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and 10 each in in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. The waterbodies will be chosen based on the local community’s request, which will also include a strong commitment towards volunteering and protecting the waterbody in the future,” he said.

To sensitise the public, a lake safari was conducted in Puducherry on Sunday, flagged off by the Lieutenant Governor, Kiran Bedi. “Along with 17 students and teachers, we visited Velrampet, Kanagan and Thunnambhar lakes. This was conducted to educate people on the importance of conservation of our waterbodies and get more people involved at the grassroot level. We will be conducting this lake a safari every weekend in Puducherry as well as other locations such as Tiruchy and Chennai, among others,” said Arun.

Punitha L, a teacher from The Study School in Kalapet and also the coordinator for the school’s eco-club, said that the students were inspired to learn more and even make a change in their institution. “Once they went to the waterbodies and saw the situation, they were keen on understanding the issue better. In fact, our school is keen on bringing in changes, such as becoming a zero-waste institution,” said the teacher.