Siruthuli, the Coimbatore-based non-governmental organisation working primarily on water-related projects, will focus more on sewage treatment and greening initiatives in the coming years, its Managing Trustee Vanitha Mohan, told The Hindu on Thursday.

The 23-year-old organisation has rejuvenated ponds, lakes, and streams and constructed check dams not only in Coimbatore district, but in Chennai and a few other locations in other parts of the State too. “We rejuvenated four streams of the Noyyal last year in Coimbatore district and built check dams so that the water that comes into the city is clean,” she said.

In Coimbatore, there are several lakes and they have water too. But, the quality of the water is poor. “Sewage treatment should be taken up in a big way so that there is more water available for use. Potable water can be used for multiple purposes such as agriculture, industrial needs, and construction. We have started working on this in a small way,” Ms. Mohan added.

For instance, Siruthuli has taken up rejuvenation of the Gandhimaanagar stream for 3.8 km in Peelamedu. It has cleared the weeds, removed the waste dumped on the bunds, and plans to take up bio remediation by planting vettiver. This stream joins the Noyyal. “We plan to fence the stream to avoid dumping of garbage,” she added.

As part of this initiative, Siruthuli plans to organise a “Watch Your Waste” programme on June 21 to create awareness among the public on the waste generated and how it is disposed so that the waste does not pollute the ground or water. “In the coming months, we will look at all sewage-related works,” she said.

Another area of focus for the organisation will be water harvesting. “There are hardly any open spaces for water to percolate, especially in cities. We need to save water at every available point. The government’s priority should be to plan for water - ensure that it is available in adequate volume for the current and future population. Our ancestors who developed the lakes in Coimbatore were visionaries because, at that point of time, water was available in surplus.”

The third area of focus will be greening. “We need trees. There are so many open spaces in the city and the suburbs - reserved sites, government lands, and so on. We need to encourage tree planting in these locations,” Ms. Mohan said.