Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Mar 1: Karnataka chief minister, H D Kumaraswamy, who initiated 'Jalamrutha', an ambitious water conservation scheme that plans to create awareness among the people of the state about the invaluable nature of water and the need to conserve it at any cost. On this occasion, he also announced the year 2019 as 'Jalavarsha (year of water)'.

The scheme was set into motion at a programme organized by rural development and panchayat raj department at Dr B R Ambedkar Bhavan here on Thursday February 28. The government has taken this initiative to take steps in advance to obviate water-related problems which might grip the humanity in future. The government wants to educate people about the importance of water in one's life, and the need to conserve it by employing various methods.

Addressing the gathering, Kumaraswamy said that a general feeling is getting deep-rooted all over the world about wars being fought in future for water alone. He felt that there is a need to create awareness among the people about the need to use water with care and diligence in order to effectively handle water woes that might be faced in future.

The chief minister asserted that grave problems created by vagaries of climate are being encountered by humanity now for having played havoc with nature in the past. "When I saw fire turning forest into barren land at Bandipur, I got tears in my eyes. We employed helicopters to douse the fire. Forest department staff has worked efficiently in extinguishing the forest fire there," he noted.

On this occasion, a cheque issued by Bengaluru zilla panchayat for Rs 95 lac towards helping flood victims of Kodagu was handed over to the concerned.