The Water Conference 2024 was hosted by Friends of Bharathapuzha (FOB) at Ahalia Institute, Palakkad. The esteemed Chief Minister of Kerala, Sri Pinarayi Vijayan, inaugurated the event on May 26, 2024. The conference was chaired by Padma Vibhushan Shri E. Sreedharan, with the presidential address delivered by Shri Krishnan Kutty, Minister of Electricity, Government of Kerala. Approximately 400 attendees participated in the conference.
Following the inauguration, key technical sessions and thematic discussions took place. The key technical sessions were presented by Dr. E.J. James, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Karunya University; Sri Nizamudeen A., IAS, Mission Director of MGNREGS; Dr. Manoj Samuel, Director of CWRDM, Kozhikode; and Dr. P.R. Sreemahadevan Pillai, Director of Ahalia Group of Academic Institutions.
Thematic discussions covered topics such as agriculture culture and traditional practices, law policy agreements and rights, climate forests and catchment areas, youth gender NGOs and case studies, and water industry technology and sustainable practices. Notably, the prioritization of catchment area replenishment and micro watersheds within a sub-basin by Retired Deputy Directors of Agriculture, Shrimati Rukmani R and Shrimati Bindu Vasumathy, was commendable.
The Water Conference 2024, organized by FOB, served as a platform for insightful discussions and presentations on various water-related topics. Following these discussions, group presentations were conducted, and cultural events marked the closing ceremony. Exhibitions included displays of books and periodicals, the Kunjikuzhi project model, water photography by Ranjith Madhavan, and the Vayalkazhchakal photo exhibition by Kole Birders Collective. “Vayalkazhchakal” offered a unique experience for conference participants.
The event was attended by Manoj Karingamadathil, Adil.A, Manoj Kunnumburath and Arya Sethuparvathy. The conference also gave us an opportunity to meet esteemed personalities such as Shri Tomas Lowrance from Save Wetlands International Movement (SWIM), Tony Thomas (One Life One Earth), Dr. P. Pramod (Principal Senior Scientist Salim Ali Center for Ornithology and Natural History), Sajeesh Vaikhari (Quality Control Lab, Kerala Water Authority) as well as representatives from the Palakkad Natural History Society and other Environment – Nature Conservation Groups. On our journey back to thrissur , we visited Venugopal Raghunathan Sir and had a short discussion with him about K.K Neelakandan and Birdwatching.