One Thirsty Town's Answer to Water Shortage

Chennai, India -- Five years ago, the Mylapore temple tank -- a man-made pond located at the ancient Kapaleeswarar Temple in the south Indian city of Chennai (formerly Madras) -- was little more than a vast, dry bed of cracked clay. Neighborhood boys traipsed down the symmetrical steps to the rectangular reservoir, the famed venue of religious "float" festivals, to play their evening game of cricket. "Capturing rainwater where it falls is a straightforward option -- environmentally sustainable and economically viable," says Prof. S. Janakarajan of the Madras Institute of Developmental Studies in Chennai. Engineering marvels such as desalination plants or huge dams have not given permanent solutions to the water problem, he says, because the real answer is simpler. No significant environmental costs accompany this water recycling technique, he points out. One Thirsty town's Answer to Water ShortageBy Vijaysree Venkatraman

What they They can learn from Rajendra Singh- 2001 Ramon Magsaysay Award The water man of Rajasthan who has undertaken extensive water conservation efforts in drought-prone eastern Rajasthan, wins the 2001 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership.