Centre to launch water literacy campaign

GANDHINAGAR: After ' Swach Bharat', the Centre is now planning to launch a water literacy campaign aimed at the optimal use of the scarce resource and reducing its wastage.

"Recharge, reuse and recycle" will be the principle messaging of the campaign, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said, adding that various constituencies like the industry, households and livestock-rearing need to be sensitised about scarcity of water.

Barring some parts of north India, which are fed by perennial rivers, large parts of the country face water shortage throughout the year.

Poor rainfall, like the one this year, only complicates the difficulties. The casual approach in urban areas is a particular area of concern, experts say.

"From the environment point of view, we want to launch a water literacy campaign which will sensitise people and make them partners in saving water, utilising it in a holistic manner," Javadekar told reporters on the sidelines of the 7th Vibrant Gujarat Summit here.

The initiative comes within months of the nation-wide 'Swach Bharat' campaign by the government, which is aimed at cleanliness.

On the issue of setting up an independent environment regulator, Javadekar said the government has already submitted its say in the courts.

The specially constituted group of ministers (GOM), which also has Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister Ananth Kumar and Power Minister Piyush Goyal as members, will be meeting tomorrow evening to chart the way forward on the issue, he said.

Meanwhile, when asked about reports of a controversial 'offloading' of Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai from a London-bound plane at New Delhi yesterday, Javadekar said he does not have any information of any such incident and declined to comment further.