Sachin Tendulkar bats for conserving water

Mumbai, Feb 21 (ANI): Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has stressed on the need to save water as a part of his campaign on social issues concerning commoners at Mumbai.

As a part of this campaign, the Brihan-Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) unveiled a mass media campaign, and Tendulkar features in this bi-lingual (Hindi and Marathi) awareness campaign calling upon fellow citizens to save every drop of water.

Speaking on the occasion of the release of a CD of the awareness campaign, BMC Commissioner S Kshatriya dispelled certain recent newspaper reports, which pointed at possible hike in the rates of filtered water supply in the city.

Kshatriya said, "In some news papers there were reports that Brihan-Mumbai Municipal Corporation will hike the water tariff but we want to deny these reports when our city is facing acute water shortage and there is no water in adequate supply."

"Then such an action is uncalled for and the need of the hour is to save every drop of water," added Kshatriya.

In December last year civic authorities had cut down piped water supply by as much as 20 percent.

BMC has said that despite heavy rains, which lashed the city in July 2009, the water level in the catchment areas of the city's six lakes has dropped.

The problem of water crisis is worst in slum areas as the residents of the area are forced to dig bore-wells around the periphery. Some are compelled to use the drainage water for household purposes. (ANI)