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Turning dreams into reality
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Spending crores to build canals for neighbouring States to supply them water, or getting water by train are not permanent solutions. The citizens must do whatever they can to harvest rainwater.
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THE VICE-PRESIDENT of the U.S.-based Decartes Systems Group, Ram Krishnan, has a persistent dream... to help Chennai overcome the water scarcity that is almost guaranteed every summer. A mechanical engineering graduate from IIT, Madras, in 1967, he recollects vividly how he would wake up long before the birds did to prime the hand pump for Corporation water in the 1950s. ``Even then, T. Nagar was water starved, and if we overslept, we would have to go without water that day,'' he said.
``What got me thinking was a series of articles on rainwater harvesting in the online editions of The Hindu way back in the late 1990s, and the fact that the IIT had to close down some of its hostels last summer because of water shortage,'' said Ram Krishnan.
IIT is a good case to study. Despite its sprawling campus, with a large number of trees, IIT suffered from an acute shortage of water. The premier institution is so preoccupied with high tech, frontier-forging research that it has no resource — time and money — to allocate for such low technology: rain water harvesting. Though the benefit of recharging rainwater into the ground aquifer and cleaning its ponds would be almost immediate and virtually long term.
``As you know, spending crores to build canals for neighbouring States to feed their water, or getting water by train are not permanent solutions. The citizens must do what needs to be done to harvest rainwater wasted otherwise,'' he said.
As an NRI, his most formidable hurdle has been his lack of contacts, and the unwillingness of many to give him a hearing. Ram Krishnan has been so intensely motivated that he spends his own money to come to Chennai every now and then, meet the handful of people active in RWH, prepare a time-bound action plan and leave the implementation to the die-hard group.
``Nobody is elected a chairman or director of the Akash Ganga group, and directorship is by rotation. I have spent a reasonable sum so far and will in the future. RWH must catch up in Chennai, because that offers the only solution,'' he said. The belief of a non-resident and his willingness to fund a large part of the organisational expenses come as a relief where people are still unsure of RWH. The worst hurdles are the educated lot who cannot be convinced to pull their heads out of the sand.
``My objective this time is to build a model house which will have everything related to RWH. Information will be given freely, and there will be facilities for testing water quality — both the Metrowater and water from recharged wells and borewells. This project will need a large investment. I am willing to fund a part of it but the local people, particularly corporate houses, must come forward to chip in. It has to be an initiative by the local citizens. And if it is successful, the project can be extended to other cities as well.''
He knows that there is a need to appreciate the effort of those who have RWH systems. ``At the appreciation dinner on January 24 at Hotel Palm Grove for those who have installed the system, we will distribute large stickers which can be fixed near the gate to show that the house has a working RWH scheme. This, I am confident, will motivate others in the locality to instal RWH schemes,'' said Ram Krishnan.
On the need for a law to force people to implement the scheme, he said, ``There is a possibility that people will challenge it in court.''
What matters finally is the vision of the man, who is still haunted by his childhood memory of water scarcity. He firmly believes that it can be solved for good. Lots of people talk about RWH, but most keep their wallets as far and as secure from ``impulsive spending'' as they can. Ram Krishnan stands apart as an example of a potent combination of a dream and the drive to fulfil it.
GOUTAM GHOSH
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