COIMBATORE: Siruthuli, a public initiative in Coimbatore to conserve water resources, has won the Bhoomijal Samwardhan Puraskar (Ground Water Augmentation Award) for 2008 for its efforts to revive water bodies here.

Innovative practices

The award has been instituted by the Union Ministry of Water Resources to encourage innovative practices in groundwater augmentation.

Chairman of Siruthuli S.V. Balasubramaniam received the award from Union Minister for Water Resources and Parliamentary Affairs P.K. Bansal at the second National Ground Water Congress in New Delhi recently.

Special Secretary in the Ministry of Water Resources S. Manoharan and Chairman of M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation M.S. Swaminathan were present.

Chosen in south zone

Siruthuli was chosen among the non-Governmental organisations in south zone for efforts to augment groundwater resources, a press release from the organisation has said.

Siruthuli said it had carried out the removal of silt from and standardising of seven tanks and reclaimed 808 acres of tank bed area in Coimbatore.

It had also constructed 154 roadside and open area rainwater harvesting structures within the city.

It led to qualitative and quantitative changes in the groundwater table.

Courtesy - Hindu