Water budgeting to be completed in Kozhikode by June-end

The process of preparing the water budget will be completed in all local bodies in Kozhikode district by the end of June. Haritha Keralam Mission district coordinator P.T. Prasad said that Kozhikode would be the second district in the State to complete the process (Kasaragod has already completed it).

“Of the 78 local bodies in the district [including 70 grama panchayats, seven municipalities, and a municipal Corporation], 76 have already completed the water budget and published it. While Mukkom municipality is in the last stages of completing the budget, it may take the Kozhikode Corporation a few more weeks to complete the process,” he said.

The water budget is similar to a normal local body budget in that it evaluates the availability of water against its utilisation for a specific geographical area.

“The Centre for Water Resources Development and Management [CWRDM] has drawn up a formula to assess the availability of water through various means such as rain, rivers, sea, and groundwater. The consumption of water is assessed in various sectors such as industrial, agricultural, and domestic. The focus will be on the balance that remains underground or flows away,” Mr. Prasad explained. He said that there was often a surplus of water during the rainy season, while there was a deficit in some areas during the summer months, from December to May.

If the water availability is estimated to be lower than the requirement in any particular area, scientific interventions will be made to increase it. The goal is to resolve the water scarcity faced by local communities scientifically.

“It also involves creating awareness among the local community regarding water conservation. The water budget will be updated by the local bodies every year,” he added.

Kerala is the first State to organise its local bodies to evolve their water budgets under a uniform methodology.