UDUPI: Joseph GM Rebello used to be a driver of a bus that shuttled between Kundapur and Mangaluru, till the year 2010. But through those rides, his passion for conservation of water did not die. Today, he is an ardent advocate of rainwater harvesting. Even while working as a driver, he attended gram panchayat meetings and learnt the basics of making rain water harvesting units, and has designed about 150 units since 2014. Joseph (44) told The New Sunday Express that he feels happy that none of his units have failed. ‘
‘I follow the procedures very carefully,’’ is his explanation. After digging a pit 10ft deep and 10ft wide around an abandoned borewell, Joseph covers it in such a way that water percolates through a 5mm hole in the casing and a mesh placed below acts as a filter. The rainwater that trickles down brings up the water table. “Water mixed with soil should never be let in, because it closes the natural aquifers underground,’’ he points out.
Joseph is also a resource person who holds workshops and has held more than 5,000 sessions on rainwater harvesting, recharging of dead borewells, waste management and cleanliness, in villages across Karnataka.It’s been a childhood interest. Back in his school days in Kallianpura village in Udupi, he remembers asking his classmates to turn off water taps immediately after washing lunch boxes, because he considered wasting water a big sin. But as he grew up, circumstances put him on different turf and he pursued automobile engineering from an Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Udupi in 1996.
‘‘I had been thinking about nature, mountains and water since childhood, but my parents thought I liked automobile engineering, so they admitted me to an ITI. However, my love for water conservation never diminished, it only grew,” he said. After his ITI course, Joseph worked as a bus driver, as he had to look after his parents, wife, son and three sisters. ‘‘I found the salary of Rs 8,000 per month attractive. I had to stay away from pursuing my passion then.”
An incident on November 5, 2010, though, brought a big change in his life, and also unbearable pain. “I had an accidental fall from a tree, from a height of about 12ft, which broke my spinal cord. I underwent a surgery and was bedridden for a year. That changed my life. I got back to the passion of underground water conservation, but also worked as a driver with a private institute. I started making rainwater harvesting units for people, because the region was already facing severe drinking water scarcity during peak summer,” Joseph says.
He also shares his expertise on WhatsApp. ‘‘I share demonstration videos of making rainwater harvesting units, which have inspired many to opt for such units. Sometimes, I give step-by-step details while creating units,’’ he says. Each rainwater harvesting unit ranges from Rs 20,000 to Rs 60,000, depending on size.
WATER PASSION
Conservation of groundwater since childhood; he considers wasting water a sin
Resource person in more than 5000 workshops on rain water harvesting, ground water conservation
Recharges dead borewells to bring alive natural underground aquifers
Designs rain water harvesting units; has made about 150 RWH units
Shares demonstration videos of making RWH units to inspire others
Has been honoured with Outstanding Bharat Nirman Volunteer Award, Jalarathna Award, Udupi district-level Kannada Rajyothsava Award 2018, among others