SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2007 Edition

 

 

 

 

 

SINCE five years, Shivananda Kalave, a farmer and development journalist, has been fervently spreading knowledge of rainwater harvesting and afforestation. A big fight started when municipal authorities of Sirsi, in southern Karnataka tried to construct a dam at Kengre village, to supply water to Sirsi town. Shivanand realised making people in urban and rural areas receptive to 'selfhelp with rainwater harvesting’ was a better solution than fighting.

Unfortunately, there weren’t enough models of rainwater harvesting for people to learn from. So Kalave took on the task of educating people about conserving and ‘sinking’ water. He inspired 300 families in Sirsi to take up open well recharging on their own. Most lodgings in the town are harvesting water in a big way. But this was not enough, Shivanand thought.

 

He wanted to start aRain Centre that would give citizens all information and guidance. Now, after three years of effort, a Rain Centre has been opened at Neernalli High School at a cost of Rs 2 lakhs. It houses 28 rainwater harvesting models. In addition, there are a dozen ‘live’ models for visitors to see.

 

The Sirsi Rain Centre in the first to display all available methods of rural rainwater harvesting in one place.Many NGOs and social activists are now considering replicating this idea.

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