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Top Indian official impressed with
Seechewal's work
WSN Network
 KAPURTHALA:
Nothing could serve as a better lesson in grassroots initiative in
Punjab
than a trip around the countryside with Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal.
India's Union
Secretary, Drinking Water Department, Santha Sheela Nair who was
visiting Sultanpur Lodhi with a team of senior officials of the
Central Drinking Water Department to observe the water procurement
and refinement procedures adopted by renowned environmentalist Baba
Balbir Singh Seechewal, was all praise for the work done by the Baba
for cleaning the Kali Bein.
She said
Seechewal village would be developed as a model "Nirmal" village and
the Central government would ensure all kinds of assistance to the
village to carry out regular surveillance of drinking water sources
and waste management.
"The Union
government is ready to finance all projects and the states should
come up with proposals. However, states are lagging behind due to
lack of proper implementation plans," said the Union Secretary,
adding that in
Punjab,
4,933 habitats were yet to have drinking water and Rs 43.28 crore
had been released for the purpose.
She said the
Punjab
government had not forwarded any nomination for the Nirmal Gaanv
Award. A village with proper sanitation and facility for treatment
of sold and liquid waste is awarded with this title, she said.
"The village
would be developed as an independent village with proper sanitation,
rainwater harvesting and natural water treatment system and it would
act as a model village for other villages of
Punjab," she
said, while urging the Baba to guide the public through his
followers to save water by adopting eco-friendly sanitation system
in villages.
"The creation of
water sewage treatment plant is not feasible for every village in
the country, so one should adopt the natural water treatment system
used earlier, which is more economical and successful," Nair said.
The Union
Secretary said these lowcost projects could ensure lesser pollution
of water. "There are many such systems devised after proper research
which can ensure auto-degradation of human waste instead of using
the popular method by using plenty of water to dissolve the waste
and later retreating the water to extract the waste," she added.
16
July, 2008
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