Demonstrations, awareness seminars, and resolutions to conserve waterbodies marked World Water Day celebrations in Kozhikode on Thursday.
The Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) conducted a seminar on ‘Nature for Water’ on their campus. Babu Parassery, district panchayat president, inaugurated the event. Experts presented papers on issues such as ‘Water scarcity in the Bharathappuzha’ and ‘Blue-green algae in the Chaliyar’. There were also discussions on the socio-economic dimensions of water scarcity and how to conserve water resources for sustainable development. Scientists from CWRDM later visited a pond near Methottuthazham and collected water samples to check the quality of water as part of efforts to rejuvenate the waterbody. They said two wells at Kottekkavu in Olavanna grama panchayat too would be rejuvenated.
The Save Poonoor Puzha Forum began a cleanliness drive as part of rejuvenating the Poonoor river. P.H. Thaha, forum president, said that 2,000 volunteers would be part of the drive to be taken up along the 58.5 km-long route from Kattippara to Elathur. The School of Management Studies at the National Institute of Technology-Calicut organised a floating seminar on the Chaliyar river at Mukkom. It was held in association with the Green Care Mission. Chavara Cultural Centre, Institution of Engineers, and the Kerala Paristhithi Samrakshana Samiti organised a seminar on water conservation. The District Congress Committee organised a programme titled ‘Jalahastam’ and activists cleaned the Mananchira and surroundings.
