Conserve ground water to save life on planet

Kapurthala: Pushpa Gujral Science City celebrated World Water Day by organizing a webinar. Around 175 students from all over Punjab participated in the program through zoom platform and youtub channel . Dr. Neelima Jerath, Director General, Science City giving introductory remarks stressed on the need to implement strategies that have demonstrated success in conservation and purification of water. She said that if current trend of using water in manner continues, about 60 percent of all aquifers in India will be in a critical condition in the next 10-15 years. There is a dire need for taking effective measures to address the critical threat of ground water overexploitation. Further, we must save and keep natural water resources if we really want our children to lead a healthy and prosperous life, she emphasized.

Dr. Satnam Singh Ladhar, Former Director, Punjab State Council for Science and Technology, Chandigarh was the key speaker at this occasion.  Delivering his talk, he said that rapid population increase has resulted in increase in water demand to meet the domestic, agricultural, industrial and power generation requirements. With the growing need of water for various purposes, water is becoming a scarce natural resource. Further, increasing water pollution due to rapid urbanization, large scale industrialization and use of fertilizers and pesticides for increased agricultural production is causing deterioration of water quality in both surface and groundwater and affecting the net availability of fresh water for consumptive uses.  The number of tube wells in Punjab have increased from 1,92,000 existing in the year 1970 to more than 15 lakhs.  This has resulted in the depletion of ground water levels at 23-50 cm per year, he added

Delivering Vote of Thanks, Dr. Rajesh Grover, Director, Science City said that lack of conservation and misuse of water is putting a great strain on the supply of freshwater. He appealed to the students to value water whatever water is left for consumption and also, participate in activities that help to protect and restore local streams, rivers, lakes & wetlands. /(March 22)