CII's 'TN Aqua 2004' today

The water levels in Tamil Nadu have fallen by 70 metres in the last 15 years with the rate of decrease being as steep as 1-3 metres per year in certain parts of the state, according to the Centre for Science and Environment.

According to the ministry of water resources, Government of India, the per capita water availability in India has declined from 3,450 cubic metres in 1951 to 1,030 cubic metres in 2003.

This is expected to further decrease to 760 cubic metres per person in 2005, due to increased groundwater extraction.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Southern Region, is organising 'TN Aqua 2004', a conference on water management and conservation in Chennai on June 30.

TN Aqua 2004 will address the ever-growing water scarcity problem in Chennai. The conference will touch upon various technological choices and international best practices for water conservation and management.

Topics of discussion will include waste water treatment and recovery, desalination, water conservation techniques, rainwater harvesting techniques, management of water infrastructure etc.

The event will also aim at identifying possible roles for various key stakeholders such as government, industry, and public-related agencies in the field of water management and conservation.

Sriram Kulkarni of Mumbai-based Technochem Agencies Limited, K Ramadorai of Chennai Petroleum Corp Limited, Louis D'Costa of Mumbai-based Rochem Separation Systems India Limited, Sekar Raghavan of Rain Centre, S Srinivasan of New Tirupur Area Development Corporation Limited, and K R Gopinath, founder of KRG Rainwater Harvesting Foundation, will be the key speakers.