H.W.Mayor, GHMC Bonthu Ram Mohan observed that Jalam Jeevam programme meant to recharge ground water should be taken seriously to improve ground water table in and around GHMC to reduce the burden on drinking water. Instead of arresting the rain water within these areas, it was being drained down to rivers and from there, drinking water was being brought by pumping at huge cost to the city. He said this during a meeting on Jalam-Jeevam at Metro Water Board Office, Khairatabad on Friday the 2nd February 2018. He recounted that once Hyderabad was a city of lakes and there was sufficient ground water available. Presently the scene is entirely different. Even in bore wells water once used to be available within 150 to 200 feet, but has gone down to 1000-1500 feet. Hence there was every reason to propagate and construct huge number of rain water structures to arrest rain water and recharge ground water for future generations and avoid water problems. Sri.M.Dana Kishore, IAS, Managing Director, HMWSSB speaking on the occasion said that it was for the first time, the Board was taking up a novel scheme of arranging bank loan for construction of Rain Water Harvesting Structures to the customers of Board. He explained the Board’s regular payers of water bill and interested to take up RWH structure, suitable loan amount would be arranged from Bank and Board would collect the loan amount from the customer and pay back to the Bank. The interest on the loan would be borne by the Board. He requested the Bankers to take up atleast two RWH structures in their vicinity under community responsibility. The Managing Director informed that the Board’s officials had donated one-day salary towards RWH fund. Similarly, the Board started an Account in the Bank for raising public donations for propagation of RWH within ORR limits. The Board’s Engineers’ Association had donated Rs.1.00 Lakh to this fund. There was every need for undertaking wide publicity about the benefits of RWH. NGOs, School, College students, audio-video cassettes, pamphlets, stickers, etc., would be used in this task, he added. On the occasion, H.W.Mayor, GHMC launched a mobile App for monitoring the progress of RWH Structures, released Posters, audio-video Cassettes, stickers and also flagged off autos with public address system and stickers. Similarly, water tankers pasted with water proof stickers on Jalam-Jeevam were also flagged as part of publicity campaign. Sri.Chiranjeevulu, Commissioner, HMDA, Ms.Yogitha Rana, IAS, District Collector, Hyderabad, Sri.NVS.Reddy, Managing Director, HMRL, Senior officials of GHMC, HMWSSB, CDMA, TSIIC, Cantonment Board, Education Department, representatives of Banks, NGOs JNTU etc., were present.