It has now decided to spread the message to parents through their children.
BWSSB Chairman P B Ramamurthy has recently dispatched letters to the principals of 950 schools (private as well as government) in the City urging them to set up `Rainwater Clubs’ for children.
The letter also impresses upon the need to instal RWH structures in schools. The move is also an attempt to spread awareness on the need for water conservation among children at a tender age.
The Board also plans to dispatch 2,000 more letters to schools as well as colleges within a month. A few schools have already conveyed their consent for opening such clubs, he added.
BWSSB has also asked schools to allot one period every week at schools to spread awareness on need for water conservation. It would not be an exam paper. Experts in the field of water would take classes for the students. Letters seeking consent for the same have been sent to top educational authorities in the State, he added.
Street plays, distribution of pamphlets door-to-door and mass training programmes to spread the concept of RWH have not yielded much benefits and hence a different approach is being considered, another official said.
Despite having a vast roof space, most schools have not made provisions for RWH and they are being goaded to do so. Some schools have also sought an additional time period with respect to installation of RWH structures since funds for it was not included in the budget planned for the ongoing academic year and could be incorporated only in the approaching year’s budget.
Principal Investigator for RWH at the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology said that an elaborate strategy for schools was being worked out.
“Quiz programmes and essay competitions on subjects pertaining to water are being planned,” he said. Schools are likely to take much interest only after the annual examinations conclude, he felt.