There is something beautiful about communities and people, irrespective of factors like age, race, caste and religion coming together and joining hands for a cause that’s bigger than all. And when something like that happens, it becomes an example that leads, and ends up inspiring others, creating a cycle of great efforts and awareness. This brings us to an inspiring story which took place in Kolkata. Started by two people, Ajay Mittal and Vinay Jaju, a movement called Active Citizens Together for Sustainability (ACTS) has helped conserve a lot of water.
Under ACTS, which now has a team of more than 500 people, more than 156 leaking taps across Kolkata were fixed and repaired, leading to gallons of water being saved. When the country is going through a water crisis, this is a huge step not only due to the amount of water saved and the awareness regarding water conservation that they managed to create, but also as an act that speaks truly about the spirit that different people have for sustainable causes.
It was Vijay Agarwal who first noticed this phenomenon in 2019. While he was always actively involved in fighting climate change and conservation causes, he noticed a tap that was constantly leaking water while he was dropping off his son to school. He started being conscious about that, and soon registered that he alone spotted a lot of leaking taps in public spaces. That was also near the time when Asian Development Bank spoke of over 30 per cent water that was provided by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation being wasted due to leaky taps. Ajay knew that if he needed to bring about change, he needed the support of society and create a movement. So he reached out to Ajay who he knew was a like-minded soul and had met earlier while working for AISEC, and spoke about creating a drive that would make a significant change in the people’s mindset.
Soon, their efforts showed results. In a span of three months, members of ACTS went around Kolkata searching for leaking taps, and got them fixed from plumbers nearby. Even the local police in charge of one of the areas they targeted reached out to them and offered support.
This is one of the many examples of regular citizens with an intent, how their efforts can change the state of the country, and help counter the issues we face as a nation. They helped in the area of water conservation in the capacity that they could, and now it’s your turn. One way that you can start is by registering yourself with Harpic-News18 Mission Paani, a platform that is doing all it can to create awareness around the water crisis in the country. Click here to check for more details and become a ‘Water Warrior’.
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