Accepted Papers - 3.pdf - UNESCO

we get our act together and make water ever body’s
business. This means redefining the role of the state,
of households and of communities in the provision
of water and the protection of water resources.
Therefore nationwide awareness campaigns that aim
at the entire spectrum of involved parties from the
central and state governments to the rural and urban
communities, is a must.
How then does one conduct effective
awareness campaigns?
In our consideration of the various strategies and
methods we will move from the macro to the micro
levels.
1) Government Participation and support : It
is essential to keep the Government aware of the
activities related to rainwater harvesting so that their
support and assistance, if required , can be solicited
. Government officials like District Collectors, Chief
Ministers and even the President and The Prime
Minister must be invited to seminars and workshops
that aim at changing the political mind-set from a
top-down bureaucratic form of governance to a
participatory form of governance where rural and
urban communities are empowered to manage their
own water resources. The government can push for
community based water management policies and
develop legislation.
2) Government Awards : The Government in
different states could set up awards to encourage
the implementation of rainwater harvesting
schemes. The Delhi Government, for instance, has
already announced two lakh rupees for institutions
and housing societies and one lakh rupees for
individuals who have set up effective rainwater
harvesting systems. (No wonder rainwater
harvesting has taken off in such a big way in
educational institutions and housing societies in
Delhi).
3) Model rainwater harvesting projects :
Efforts must be made with government assistance
to establish rainwater harvesting projects which can
serve as models worthy of emulation. Trips must be
arranged for neighboring communities to these
project sites. This can be a very effective and
convincing way of educating people.
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4) Rainwater Centers : Every region must set
up rainwater harvesting centers to provide
information to interested individuals and
communities interested in setting up rainwater
harvesting systems. The rainwater harvesting center
at Chennai, in collaboration with Akash Ganga
Trust, sets up exhibitions that seek to spread water
literacy among urban Indians.
5) Networking with other N.G.O.s: Several
N.G.O.s have done a lot of work on rainwater
harvesting. Pooling the efforts and information
resources of these organizations would go a long
way in making rainwater harvesting a nationwide
movement. For example CSE has made some good
film advertisements like, “The Rain catchers” and
“Jal Yodha”, which have been made available to
interested parties. CSE and Manav Adhikar Seva
Samiti (MASS) organized a traveling film festival
from 30 th Nov. – 1 st Dec. in 2005. On our own level,
ASA plans on collaborating with Enviro Vigil to
set up an exhibition on our campus.
6) Print and Television Media: The Media is a
powerful tool for public awareness.
a) Establish web-based discussion groups with
a FAQ section (Frequently Asked Questions) and a
forum for network partners to share their
experiences on local water harvesting practices.
There is already an Orkut RWH group for online
committees.
b) Newsletters can also be an effective platform
for dissemination of information. CSE newsletters
(Jalvibadri in Hindi and Catchwater in English )
are mouthpieces of the National Water Harvesting
Network.
c) Educational Institutions at the school and
college levels can organize awareness campaigns
in the form of poster competitions, elocution
competitions and processions where pamphlets of
RWH are distributed.
d) Street Plays organized by N.G.O.s and
educational institutions can also serve as a powerful
medium.
7) Individual Effort On the individual level we
who are committed to this cause of rainwater
harvesting, can encourage can encourage those
within our sphere of influence to implement such