Hi all,
On the heels of World Water Day on March 22nd, it is more urgent than ever that we collectively recognize the importance of water in our daily lives. For a bit of inspiration, I’d like to share with you the government of India’s leadership in water stewardship and conservation.
The nation of India faces a severe water scarcity crisis, with approximately 200,000 people dying each year due to lack of access to quality water. The government has taken decisive action to mitigate this crisis with several different initiatives to conserve and protect water resources.
Here are a few examples:
To restore groundwater levels, the government is currently leading a “Catch the rain” campaign to encourage the general population to collect rainwater. This was a cost-effective choice, as it requires neither electricity nor labour. One of its states, Tamil Nadu, also made rooftop rainwater collection mandatory on all its buildings.
The campaign highlights the role of women as leaders in shaping a water-secure future for India. The government has held events that feature ‘women warriors’, some of whom are trained in water sampling measures and others who are part of water governance committees. The government of India has conducted ceremonies, shown water-related documentaries, and they have even made public commitments to water conservation. Finally, the national government’s efforts are featured in a global social media conversation called #water2me, which encourages people to demonstrate through text and images what water means to them. It is evident that the government’s initiatives are gaining the world’s attention.
As it relates to community-based social marketing, social diffusion, commitments, and education appear to be key techniques here, along with stakeholder management, social media use, and policy change. It seems noteworthy that in this case, many techniques are being applied, with women water warriors as a key lever of change.
