Students and teachers also took a pledge during the school assembly to construct at least one recharge pit in the premises of their respective homes.
Amid concerns over rising temperatures and a possible decline in rainfall in Karnataka due to the impact of El Nino, students of Government High School, Badaga Ekkaru, Mangaluru North, have launched a unique water conservation campaign titled “One recharge pit for every home – Our resolve to increase groundwater.”
The initiative aims to create awareness among the public about rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge by ensuring that rainwater is not allowed to go to waste but is instead diverted into the ground. The campaign, which began at the school level, is being expanded to the village level, said teachers. The students are encouraging parents and villagers to participate in the initiative and construct percolation pits in their homes to improve groundwater levels and help prevent water shortages in the future. As part of the campaign, a special water conservation awareness programme was organised at the school for around 130 parents, said English teacher Dr Anith Kumar. Recognising the importance of water conservation, the school, in association with its Eco Club, adopted a resolution to promote the construction of percolation pits and water conservation.
As part of the initiative, students and teachers took a pledge during the school assembly to construct at least one recharge pit in the premises of their respective homes. Students were also encouraged to spread awareness among families and neighbours in their localities and act as “water conservation ambassadors” by motivating more households to adopt the practice.
Students prepared special pamphlets and appeals about the campaign and distributed them among villagers. They also approached organisations and women’s self-help groups in the village and neighbouring areas, seeking their participation. The programme was successfully implemented under the guidance and encouragement of Headmistress Indira N Rao, Vanasiri Eco Club coordinator Winnie Nirmala D’Souza and all the teaching staff.
A special Google Form has been created through which students can upload photographs of recharge pits constructed at their homes. Students can enter their names, class, address and photographs of the pits in the form. Mathematics teacher Ramya K trained the students through a PowerPoint presentation on how to use the Google Form and how to guide their parents and villagers in submitting the details.
Students have advised to dig recharge pits with a minimum capacity of around one cubic metre while larger pits can be built depending on the available space and requirements. A notable feature of the campaign is the use of technology to encourage participation. Once a student submits details of the activity through the Google Form, a certificate is automatically generated using the Certify’em add-on and sent to the student’s email address, he added. The campaign has also gained attention on social media, with some citizens from Kasaragod and Maharashtra responding to the initiative and obtaining certificates after participating, said teachers.
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