UP: Govt school in Agra develops rainwater harvesting system to save water

Agra (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Sep 10 (ANI): In a bid to combat the menace of water crises and save the precious resource, a school in Ambedkar Nagar has installed a rainwater harvesting system.
Earlier, a couple of students left school after falling prey to waterborne diseases such as typhoid and diarrhoea due to contaminated water.
After falling ill, scores of teenagers missed classes and even dropped out, depending on the severity of the illness.
But in 2016, the education institution turned around this narrative by introducing rainwater harvesting system. This move not only increased the strength of students in classrooms but also helped in reducing Agra's water scarcity.
Tedi Bagia Government Middle School in Ambedkar Nagar became the first school to install rainwater harvesting tank three years ago, indicating that administration has no longer to worry about water shortage despite being situated in the water-starved area.
"There is a water scarcity in the area so everyone used to buy water from tankers. Now all of us use this water, even children take it home," said Kusum Gaur, , Principal, Tedi Bagia Government Middle School.
The latest government data shows, that India loses 73 million working days due to water-borne diseases, IndiaSpend reported on June 21, 2016.
The country registered 69.14 million cases--or as many people as in the United Kingdom--of four water-borne diseases over five years to 2017.
Diarrhoea caused 6,514 deaths, the most of water-borne diseases in India, over five years to 2017. Other killers were viral hepatitis (2,143), typhoid (2,061) and cholera (20).
With mercury on the rise across the nation, residents of Agra during summer season faced hardships due to water shortage. What further worsens the situation here is the scanty rain the region receives every year. People's only source of water is a tanker which reaches them, but not so frequently. (ANI)