“Water Bodies Exnora” becomes “Neer Exnora”
With experience in handling solid waste management and Civic discipline for around 3 decades, Mr M B Nirmal, Chairman and Founder of Exnora launched the Water Bodies Exnora in 2006 with support and guidance from Anna University. What was started as a branch of Exnora International to cater to the needs of monsoon for Chennai city has fully blossomed into a statewide organisation under the banner of “Neer Exnora”.

‘Water Bodies Exnora’ played a primary role in protecting Water Bodies in and around Chennai city. Major achievements of Water Bodies Exnora within a short span of one year are as follows: (Click on the images to view larger image)

Before	After	Before	After
Restoration of community Drinking water pond by Kovalam Youth Exnora		Restoration of Pammal tank with public and private partnership
Sholinganallur shallow tank converted to a huge lake with the help of Private and NGO participation		Madambakkam lake restoration with the help of NABARD
Desilting of 13 ponds on the hill slopes for rain catchment in the Vellore hill		Removal of encroachment from Porur lake with the help of government

The lakes were being polluted by dumping garbage, sewage and encroached everywhere. Water Bodies Exnora intervened and motivated the local residents to reverse the trend and clean up the waterbodies in a matter of weeks.

“Neer Exnora” is a Voluntary Organization promoted by ExNoRa International with a direct focus on “Water”, its “Collection or Harvesting”, “Storage”, “Drainage” and “Recycling” in order to protect, promote and expand the Water Bodies Infrastructure ( Neer Nilai Aadhrangal) in Tamil Nadu.

Originally launched as “Water Bodies ExNoRa” in January 2006 by ExNoRa International as a “Spontaneous Platform” to the citizens of Chennai Metropolitan Area, seeking to protect about 35 lakes and tanks, particularly Velacheri, Puzhuthivakkam, Madippakkam, Moovarasampettai, Admbakkam, Villivakkam, Manali Rettai Eri and Saathankadu Thangal to name a few, the movement has today grown into a “Critical Mass” and is being rechristened with a more appropriate name in vernacular Tamil : “Neer ExNoRa” for the purpose of spreading the message across the length and breadth of Tamil Nadu.

The Objective is to concentrate on the protection and expansion of “Neer Nilaigal (Water Bodies)” in Tamil Nadu State and the formal registration and launch is taking place on Friday, November 9, 2007 at Chennai.

A Website under the banner of www.neerexnora.com is also being launched to serve as the Information Highway and provide upto date information on events, actions and initiatives apart from statistical data and technological innovations on water.

We are already living in the New Millennium. Over the last 50-60 Years, the extent of lands under agricultural cultivation has increased by 50-60% and the number of crops has gone up from 1 to 2 or even 3 per year in many parts of Tamil Nadu. The population of India, which was just 350 Million in 1940, has already exploded beyond the 1 billion mark. The population of Tamil Nadu was just under 30 Million in 1940 and currently stands at over 65 Million in 2007. Thus the general population has grown more than 2-3 times and the demand for water has really multiplied over the last 50-60 Years! Even as the spectre of “Water Shortage” due to an explosive demand growth looms large, the water availability is already dwindling on all fronts. With the phenomenon of Global Warming at our doors, it looks as though the situation is getting out of control and if corrective action is not taken in time, the worst is not far away!

Worse still, the water storage infrastructure built by our ancestors for over hundreds of years in every village and town in Tamil Nadu, has been destroyed by chronic urbanization and so called modernization of agriculture through deep bore wells. Every Village Tank, Lake, River Bed and Catchment / Drainage Channel and appurtenance is being neglected and nearly 50% of storage lakes and tanks have already been turned useless due to silting, encroachment and misuse. As against just 3% in 1950 , nearly 30% of Water Resources ( both surface and ground water) in Tamil Nadu are reported as heavily polluted due to wreckless discharge of sewage water and industrial effluents on the one side and indiscriminate mining, inorganic fertilizers/pesticides and deep bore wells /sea erosion etc on the other.

There is an urgent need to educate the public and arrest this trend. We have to revive the age old system of Kudi Maramathu for deepening and desilting of all lakes and tanks and inculcate the system across the urban and rural cultures. We have to really treble the storage capacity of all ponds, tanks and lakes and also create a 'Ring Main Water Body Network' in each locale based on landscape and the available potential.

The process of such reversal and restoration is a Marathon Task. Nothing works in a nascent democracy except assertion of public opinion and demonstration of public vigil. Only a Crying Baby gets its milk today! Even as the Government of Tamil Nadu is organizing a Water Bodies Protection and Promotion Board, it is necessary to mobilise public opinion and exercise vigilance against the ever growing neglect and misuse of 'Neer Nilai Aadharangal', all of which belong to the Tamil people and the Tamil Society at large

Be it a barren Temple Tank in Chennai or Coimbatore or Madurai City or a bone dry 'Village Oorani' in Ramanathapuram and Sivagangai District or the water-less Paalar River across Northern Tamil Nadu or even the historic Veeranam Lake near Chidambaram, what is critical is the unfettered and uninterrupted flow of rain water, maintenance of catchment canals, Prevention of sewage being let in and Sustaining the storm water overflow drainage canals all the way.

Simple desilting and deepening of existing water bodies is the first step for every water body. Interestingly, it could turn out to be revenue positive, if managed honestly ,as sand is in short supply today and the cost of desilting can be more than met through sale of sand ! but the deepening and desilting of water bodies only means the return to basics or the status quo and we need to build further on it for the future of our children and further generations.

Science and Technology has advanced tremendously in the area of Water Conservation and Recycling. We have amazing tools today for efficient water management and disposal. Rain water harvesting techniques, Recharging of Aquifers, Construction of small ponds, tanks and lakes in the place of huge dams, Transitional strategies to reduce the impact through dilution of contaminated zones, Zero Discharge Techniques for Industrial effluents and Domestic sewage water recycling are only some of the corrective tools which would need to be applied to bring about a paradigm shift and achieve a big bang impact in this direction.

Neer ExNoRa is a new platform from the ExNoRa movement for all of those who are passionate about the cause of water for the present and the future.Come, Let us work together to carry this message to the people at large. Let us form Task Forces to take chage of atleast 10000 Water Bodies in Tamil Nadu in a pro-active and positive manner and mobilise the real stake holders at the grass roots level.

To summarize: At a time when population has nearly tripled, the period of rainfall has halved ,the overall rainfall quantum is going down, the rain water collection canals are encroached and the water storage capacity has become half instead of being tripled if not multiplied ! “Neer ExNoRa” dedicates itself to bring back the age old awareness in the minds of Tamil Society and encourage a mass movement for expediting the restoration and expansion of Water Bodies in each and every village in Tamil Nadu.

Come , Join “Neer ExNoRa” today !

Form a Neer Panchayat for the Water Bodies near your Area!