Kiran Bedi led Water Rich Puducherry initiative completes 200 weeks

Puducherry Governor Kiran Bedi on Saturday completed 200th morning round of a self-introduced cleaning initiative that involves cleaning of water canals and other water bodies.

After taking charge as Puducherry Governor, Kiran Bedi formed a team which would go for weekend morning rounds and involve themselves in cleaning ponds, lakes, canals and nearby public places as part of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The group named Water Rich Puducherry Team has been reviewing the progress of cleaning along with Bedi.

In today's 200th morning round, Bedi went to villages of Pilliyar kuppam, Suthukeny and Korkadu Tank feeder. She reviewed cleaning of ponds and lakes with the help of private organisations. Efforts in these villages will help thousands of farmers and villagers around Pondicherry city.

Speaking about the initiative, which she terms as historical community action, Bedi said, "We are correcting the past. It is like a debt that has accumulated. We are clearing the debt of silt, the bushes. We are correcting the past, working for the present and now planning for the future. This is being done so that people of the area remain water rich. Water is life. If you have water, you have agriculture, you have sanitation; if you have sanitation you have good health. If you are desilting the canal, there is no flood. It is a win-win situation."

"This is an amazing collaborative project of the community and the government. This is what we need to do, work for the present and sustain it for the future," she added.

Team Water Rich Puducherry today extended its reach to urban and semi-urban drains beside water-ways. All the team members, including Bedi, have allocated drains to themselves to daily inspect progress.