Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy Friday pitched for more rain water harvesting schemes to face the challenges of drinking water scarcity and drought in the state.
Only by efficiently using rain water and by cleaning up water bodies can the problem of shortage of drinking water be resolved, he said at a function here to mark World Water Day.
Apart from lack of potable water, Kerala now faces acute power shortage, he said.
State Water Resources Minister P J Joseph said Rs 400 crores had been allocated in the Kerala budget for constructing check dams.
More storage dams will be built and rain water harvesting be made mandatory in all residential establishments, he said.
PTI
First Published: Friday, March 22, 2013, 21:59