Sri Vijaya Puram, Oct. 12: Limited rainfall has prompted the Andaman Public Works Department (APWD) to intensify public awareness efforts on water conservation, urging residents to reduce wastage, report leaking pipelines and adopt rainwater harvesting to protect freshwater availability across the islands.
The department’s Public Health Engineering Division (PHED) organised street plays at Bathu Basti, Burma Nallah and Manglutan on October 10 as part of an ongoing campaign to encourage responsible water use and greater community participation in conservation.
The performances and public interactions focused on everyday measures to save water, prevent unnecessary consumption, harvest rainwater and replenish groundwater. The department highlighted these practices as important to protecting the islands’ fragile freshwater ecosystem, particularly when rainfall is inadequate.
Members of the public and representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) participated in the programmes. The local ward councillor attended the event at Bathu Basti, while gram pradhans and other public representatives joined departmental officials at Manglutan.
APWD has urged households to turn off taps when they are not in use, repair leaking taps and pipelines promptly, reuse water wherever feasible and avoid wastage during domestic activities. The department has also asked residents to report pipeline leakages to the concerned authorities so repairs can be undertaken without delay.
Rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge formed another key part of the campaign. The department has encouraged residents to adopt these measures to improve water availability during periods of inadequate rainfall, alongside efforts to curb avoidable consumption.
APWD also acknowledged residents who report leakages and cooperate with officials in addressing water loss. The department said conservation requires participation from individual households and communities, with timely reporting of leaks helping authorities identify problems requiring repair.
The campaign is set to continue in the coming weeks through further outreach programmes at households and community centres across the islands. The planned activities will focus on raising awareness, promoting water-saving habits and encouraging wider participation in conservation.
The latest outreach comes as the department calls for more careful use of available water resources in the wake of limited rainfall. Its message combines household-level steps to reduce consumption with community action to prevent losses from damaged or leaking pipelines and improve water storage and recharge.
