BENGALURU, 22 MARCH

The Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), in collaboration with the BBMP and the State government, conducted Cauvery Aarti at Sankey Tank on 21 March. The event was aimed at raising awareness about the importance of water conservation, promoting practices such as saving water, reusing treated water, groundwater recharge and rainwater harvesting.

Dr Ram Prasath Manohar V, the BWSSB chairman, joined the cleaning drive at the Sankey Tank premises after the Cauvery Aarti, marking World Water Day with action.

Amid public concerns over environmental impact, the BWSSB took extra care to comply with all legal and court directives, especially after citizens raised strong objections ahead of the event.

Manohar told Salar News that care was taken to ensure that residents in the surrounding areas of Sankey Tank, who go to the place for daily walks, were not inconvenienced the next day.

"The event closed by 9.50pm as per the law, and by 10 PM, our BWSSB team began the cleanup. I personally led the drive… A total of 120 people, including BWSSB and BBMP staffers, as well as volunteers, participated. While the BBMP cleaned the roads, the BWSSB tidied the lakebed,” Manohar said, adding that the event was a forerunner for the World Water Pledge Acceptance campaign (Jalave Jeeve) being held from 24 to 28 March.

The BWSSB eyes a Guinness World Record for the maximum number of people taking the pledge during the week-long campaign.

Mirza Anwar, assistant executive engineer, BWSSB (Mahadevapura), said, “Just as we work to reduce the carbon footprint of industrial waste, we need to find ways to lower the water footprint… Awareness is key – citizens should understand their water usage and run local campaigns to promote conservation. Our goal is to ensure the judicious use of water.