Found gaps in work of water conservation

Sriram Vedire, MS (Computer Science ) hails from Telangana. He worked in USA for 15 years and implemented geographic information system (GIS) and IT solutions in ground water recharge, water harvesting, inland river navigation and interlinking of rivers. In 2008, he came back to India and worked in Telangana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

How did this Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan come to your mind?

I found some gaps while closely monitoring the work of the government and NGOs in the field of water conservation in different states. In 2011-12, I met CM Vasundhara Raje and had a discussion. She showed interest and many meetings took place and thus, came up MJSA.

How do you identify the place for making structures for recharging groundwater and water conservation?

We look at the amount of rainfall and select the area where the annual rainfall is 400mm and above. Soil, rock strata, ridges, contours are studied and mapping is done.

What were the initial hurdles faced with MJSA?

There were lot of problems faced when MJSA was launched. People were not aware of the project and they thought that the government is confiscating their lands. Bringing all departments together was a big challenge. The CM motivated the officials. The departments were brought to common objective, planning and its execution.

Do you think the next government will continue with MJSA?

When the new government comes to power, they scarp the schemes of the previous government. But I am quite confident that if Congress comes to power, it will continue with MJSA. Senior Congress leader Pradhyumn Singh in the assembly lauded the project.