The Hindu Business Line : Rotary Intl to focus on global water resources management

The global service organisation that has believed in "service above self" for more than a 100 years now has hitherto been mainly focused on healthcare schemes — such as the pulse polio immunisation programme — and on promoting "functional literacy".

Addressing a news conference held here on Wednesday to announce the details of the forthcoming three-day annual conference of the Rotary International District 3290, its District Governor, Rtn Swapan Mukherjee, said Rotary "appreciates and realises" that adequate availability of drinking water would pose a major challenge to mankind in the years ahead. As such, water resources management and water harvesting would be of prime importance if the country were to meet the challenge.

Global schemes: Mr Mukherjee said Rotary International, globally, was taking up schemes aimed at water harvesting, water resources management and schemes aimed at providing clean drinking water to meet local needs.

"Our multi-level water management schemes keep in view local needs. For example, we have taken up water management schemes in three districts of South India. In this, we are involving the Government and holding seminars as well. In fact, one seminar was inaugurated by the President of India, Mr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam," he said.

Arsenic-free water: According to him, water in several districts of West Bengal is arsenic prone. To provide arsenic-free drinking water, the organisation would deploy through its community development schemes an equipment in this regard that has been developed by Bengal Engineering College, Shibpur.

"The prototype is ready and the equipment shall be deployed after successful testing", Mr Mukherjee said.

Besides, in the changing domestic socio-economic scenario, Rotary International would also focus on providing vocational training with a view to facilitating the economic uplift of communities at large.

Through its Rotary Community Corps, the global organisation would facilitate conflict resolution, including conflicts of economic nature arising out of the changing domestic business scenario.