Open House: How can authorities raise awareness among residents about the importance of conserving water?

During every summer, demand for water is increased and supply is reduced due to restricted power supply to the main pumping stations. People need to be apprised about the value of water through social meetings, seminars, posters and social media. Religious bodies and RWAs may be involved to inculcate the habit of conserving water.

Sqn Ldr Manjit Singh Johar (retd), Chandigarh

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Hold Door-to-door awareness campaigns

The authorities must conduct door-to-door awareness campaigns in all sectors to apprise people of the importance of water conservation. There is a need for the challans to be more proactive and uniform across the city. Corruption in this department should be checked, as offering bribes will not contribute to the cause of water conservation. Schools should also encourage children to do so, for this can have a greater impact on households.

Saikrit Gulati, Chandigarh

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Install water sensors at houses

Installation of water sensors in every household should be compulsory, in order to prevent water leakage, coupled with the process of rainwater harvesting, as rainwater is the purest form of water in nature. All these minuscule steps can make a world of difference, yet due to the lack of digitalization, the country is not aware of water conservation and its dire need for subsequent generations.

Manseerat Kaur, Chandigarh

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Increase water tariff in city

People will keep on wasting water as long as it is available for free or at low prices. Selfish people would stop wasting this precious natural resource only when they were charged a high amount for it. The administration needs to start hosting awareness campaigns to apprise people of the value of this natural resource to deter people from wasting it. They could also challan people that waste water.

Avinash Goyal, Chandigarh

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Stop water supply to violators

The MC should stop the water supply in areas where the most violators are found. Red markings should be put on the doors of those houses that waste water; only then will they realise their mistake. The government should also increase the number of challans. A neighbourhood watch could also help deter people who waste water.

Antra Rakheja, Chandigarh

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Freebies lead to scarcity, wastage

Providing safe drinking water to residents has been a mission for the country. This mission has the objective of providing hundreds of litres of clean water. However, if water is being used for residential or commercial purposes, people should not shy away from paying the water bill. Freebies have no value in our country, as they only lead to waste and scarcity of natural resources.

Charu Malhotra, Mohali

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Residents flout norms with impunity

Every year in the summer, the city authorities issue an advisory to conserve potable water and to avoid misuse of it. Despite the provisions of challans or fines, people gleefully go against the advisory and waste the precious natural resource. To enforce restrictions on misuse, the authorities must intensify flying squad operations, especially in the wee hours, and proceed against violators with hefty fines. The resident welfare societies need to hold meetings to apprise people of the importance of water.

SS Arora, Mohali

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Collaborate with residents’ bodies

The Chandigarh MC should maintain regular communication with residents through newsletters, mobile applications, or community meetings to provide updates on water usage trends. Incentive programmes must be introduced, such as rebates or discounts, for residents who implement water-saving measures such as water-efficient appliances and fixing leaks. Along with these water-saving technologies, they can be implemented and practiced, inspiring residents to adopt similar methods in their own households.

Anita K Tandon, Mundi Kharar

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Use ‘the elixir’ carefully, wisely

Our learned citizens of the city should realise that the situation of potable, clean water is deteriorating day by day and that only periodic curbs can stop the situation for long. Therefore, we all have to make a habit of using the elixir very carefully, irrespective of climatic conditions. Along with saving, it also needs to manage and start projects on the preservation of rainwater to meet the perceived grave situation it is feared to face in the future.

Surinder Paul Wadhwa, Mohali

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Restrict water supply to violators

Residents are lax about saving water. Water supply should be restricted to make them realise the value of water. The government should issue challans to bureaucrats on priority, as they waste a huge amount of water by washing cars and watering lawns. Residents should feel the gravity of the situation and should be responsible enough to use water judiciously. Awareness and education in schools among students can turn out to be beneficial in saving water.

Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali

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Need for strict regulations

Strict regulations need to be implemented to stop the waste of water. Major violations come from the from the washing of vehicles in both households and commercial settings. Similarly, uncontrolled watering of lawns with potable water instead of tertiary water is also a major bulk contributor. The MC needs to dedicate teams at the sector level to conduct regular checks, and violators should be penalised.

Vijay Shukla, Chandigarh

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Sensitise masses to stop wastage

Instead of simply issuing challans to citizens found wasting water, a multi-pronged approach is the need of the hour. There is a need to organise special campaigns and seminars involving NGOs, residents, and school and college students to sensitise the masses about the importance and magnitude of the grave problem of fast receding water tables and also provide information regarding ways to save water.

Dr Shruti K Chawla, Chandigarh

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Disconnect supply to defaulters

At present, water is supplied in Chandigarh for about 10 hours a day. Even then, with the limited amount of water that the residents receive, they decide to waste it on washing their vehicles and watering house gardens, even though they know that there are crores of people out there who do not get drinking water. Heavy penalties may be imposed on the defaulters, and their connections should be cut; only then will they realise the importance of the natural resource.

MR Bhateja, Naya Gaon

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Industries need ‘zero liquid discharge’ policy

Recycling of sewage and industrial effluents is the need of the hour, and all industries and organisations should be enforced by authorities to install ZLD (zero liquid discharge) plants. Rainwater harvesting wells should be made mandatory for houses, industries, and institutions. The washing of cars and watering of parks and gardens have to be strictly regulated by the authorities. It is the duty of every citizen and the organisation of the country to work on water management and save even a single drop of water, as otherwise, our generations to come will face a severe water crisis.

Sanjay Chopra, Mohali

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Notices have little impact, issue challans

Instead of issuing notices, the Chandigarh MC should adopt a policy of issuing challans to the people for wasting water. They should charge two or three times the rates of the fined residents for two to three years.

Savita Kuthiala

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Create awareness among people

As many as 72 challans and 345 notices have been issued to violators within a week. The Chandigarh Administration should take the necessary steps immediately. There is a need to create awareness among the citizens about the importance of conserving water through the newspaper, radio, webinar, and other social media channels.

Adish Sood, Amloh

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Residents should harvest rainwater

To avert wastage of water in the Tricity, people should switch to using sprinklers while watering their plants and should be made aware to use water from rainwater harvesting to wash their cars and utensils.

Parisha Khatri, Chandigarh

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Conserve flow, let future grow

In Chandigarh, despite the MC’s efforts, the issue of water wastage persists. To combat this, authorities must intensify awareness campaigns, using myriad channels such as social media, community workshops, and educational programmes in schools and colleges. The idea of water conservation should be fostered among the people of our city.

Siddharth Nagpal

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Public outreach programmes needed

Water waste is an issue that is only solvable when addressed at the grassroots. Accessibility to groundwater should require a permit. On top of this, public reach through media and billboards or as pamphlets spread in housing complexes all over Chandigarh may as well bring a significant change.

Bhaviman, Chandigarh

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Intensify campaigns at schools, colleges

The Save Water campaign should be initiated in schools by organising slogan-writing, poster-making, and skits, among others. For public awareness, big posters with good slogans should be placed near traffic lights so that they can read them when they stop.

SS Arora, Mohali

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Organise educational events in Tricity

The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation can effectively raise awareness about water conservation by organising educational events, offering incentives for water-efficient practices, and utilising media channels to promote responsible water usage. Engaging the community and fostering a culture of conservation are essential for addressing this pressing issue.

Prithvee Yakhmi, Chandigarh

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Challan people who wash cars

A lot of people connect pipes to the taps at their homes to wash their cars every morning. This results in a lot of water waste. The MC needs to start issuing challans to people who are careless with the use of the natural resource. The Chandigarh MC should also check public toilets, government buildings, and parks, as a lot of times water is overflowing or leaking in these places and no one is bothered to stop it.

Kirpal Singh, Chandigarh

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Organise workshops for residents

The MC needs to organise engaging workshops and demonstrations in residential areas. Invite experts to showcase practical water-saving techniques, such as rainwater harvesting, efficient irrigation methods, and leak detection. Hands-on experiences can leave a lasting impact on residents.

Sahibpreet Singh, Mohali

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Recognise people who conserve water

Organise community events with games and contests that challenge residents to conserve the most water in a week. Winners could be rewarded with discounts on water bills or recognition in local media.

Gurpreet Kaur, Mohali

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Hold community events in city

Organise community events with games and contests that challenge residents to conserve the most water in a week. Award prizes and recognition to the winners to promote a friendly competition and encourage information sharing amongst residents. This will create a positive and engaging atmosphere around water conservation.

Gurdev Singh, Mohali

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Set up water-saving stations in city

Organise community events with games and contests that challenge residents to conserve the most water in a week. This can be done by setting up water-saving stations with shower timers, faucet aerators, or leak detection kits and awarding prizes to the households that show the most reduction in water usage.

Amanjot Kaur, Mohali

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Multipronged approach needed

To combat water wastage in Chandigarh, authorities could implement a multi-pronged approach. This could include launching a city-wide campaign utilising social media, billboards and community events to educate residents about water conservation practices. Engaging schools and local organisations to conduct workshops and competitions focused on water conservation could also foster a culture of sustainability. Additionally, incentivizing water-saving initiatives through rebates or rewards could further encourage behavioural change among residents.

Gaganpreet Singh, Mohali

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Penalise people who waste water

To put an end to the problem or water wastage in the city, the authorities need to prohibit wasteful use of water by imposing fines and penalties on the residents who continue defying the directions, such as washing vehicles on a daily basis, watering lawns, checking leaks in their pipes, and installing booster pumps on the main supply line.

Dr Dinesh Verma, Panchkula

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Half-hearted approach

MC should depute officials to all sectors, villages and government buildings every week in the morning and evening to check water wastage. Half-hearted efforts will not yield the desired results. This will help in maintaining a sufficient drinking water supply in the city.

K C Rana, Chandigarh

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Prohibit washing cars, lawns

The Chandigarh Administration must initiate strict action against people who waste water. Washing vehicles, watering the lawns, and overflowing water from overhead tanks cannot be allowed during the summer. MC may deploy teams to keep watch on the respective areas to deter people from wasting water.

Wg Cdr JS Minhas (retd), Mohali

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Keep checking for leaks in supply lines

The need of the hour is to carry out physical surveys to check water leakage from external pipelines by the authorities. The MC needs to deploy teams in all sectors to keep a check on domestic water tanks to avoid wastage through leakage.

Col TBS Bedi (retd), Mohali

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Admn should host awareness camps

The Tricity Administration needs to engage with the residents to apprise them of the importance of water. They should also educate the citizens about harvesting rainwater and recycling used water. We need to adopt the policy of reducing, recycling, and reusing to conserve natural resources.

Capt Amar Jeet

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Councillors should inspect wards

The MC counsellors, along with a team, need to keep an eye on the misuse of water in their wards. They should have the power to challan or fine people who do not use water in a judicious manner. As water is a finite natural resource, we should use it wisely.

NPS Sohal, Chandigarh

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Drive needs news coverage

The MC is managing the water conservation drive in a fair and adequate manner. The initial challans in such drives are always high; however, residents would see the figures coming down eventually. Adequate news coverage of the Challan Drive will surely deter people from wasting water.

Sapna Sharda, Chandigarh

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QUESTION FOR NEXT WEEK

The traffic congestion outside schools in Sector 26 continues to be a problem for parents. What measures should the UT Administration and the police take to address the issue?

Suggestions in not more than 70 words can be sent to [email protected]

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