Jalamrutha
As design partners to the Dept. of RDPR, we created and launched ‘Jalamrutha’ as a people’s participation movement towards water conservation across Karnataka, to create a water secure future!
How do we create a set of new rituals to ensure people’s participation to save water?
My Role : Design Lead // Research and Insights // Design Strategy // Communication Design // Storyboarding // Film Direction
Team : Girish Raj Nair (Strategy Director, Founding Partner, Spread) // Sonia Manchanda (Chief Designer, Founding Partner, Spread) // Mallikarjuna Swami (Program Lead) // Raji Math (Principal Designer and Partner) // Sreeraj and Sreenath N (Cinematographer and Film Editor) // Mejo Kuriachan (Design Manager) // Suryarshi Mitra (Content-writer) // Murugan and Ramesh (Studio)
©️Spread Design and Innovation Pvt Ltd
Jalamrutha : To ensure that there is water forever, for everyone
Jalamrutha deploys scientific approaches to water budgeting, water harvesting and water conservation. The project is being implemented on ground in phases across the state and follows the IEC framework. Jalamrutha is a call to every citizen, institution and community - to work together, save water, and adopt a conscious, sustainable and smart water culture, towards making Karnataka water secure.
Logo Story
“Amrutha” means nectar. Water is the elixir of life...the nectar that sustains every life-form.
The logo shaped by two hands to save water represents shared responsibility, making it a comprehensive people’s programme.
4 Pillars of Jalamrutha
Designed on 4 key pillars, Jalamrutha was aimed at spreading water literacy, conserving water, promoting smart water usage and encouraging green initiatives among the people from all sections.
2019 : Karnataka’s Year of Water
2019 was declared as the Year of Water to spearhead the Jalamrutha movement. The Year of Water activation saw the coming together of individuals, communities and institutions, including Gram Panchayats, Taluk Panchayats, Zilla Panchayats, schools, colleges, NGOs, Government departments, women, children, farmers, research institutions and other stakeholders as partners in this movement.
We created communication at specific water usage touchpoints, using the medium as the message to spread water awareness among the people from ground up.
Our vibrant illustrations were turned into wall paintings by local artists, that showcased the pillars of our movement
One Water
One needs to understand that rural water, rain water, storm water, water for farming, urban water, waste water are all one. It connects every environment and living thing on the planet.
People are not aware of the far-reaching consequences of continued misuse, abuse and disregard for water bodies. But in Karnataka, water levels are depleting. Each one of us needs to take the pledge, take responsibility to save every drop of water.
One Water Challenge
We created a series of teaser films with the Hon'ble Minister and other key influencers to demonstrate that each one of us has the power to save water in our hands. A series of show and tell films where a cross section of people took the One Water Challenge, to post the one thing that they practice to save water.
Can we consciously make water a topic of conversation?
The water table is going down across urban and rural Karnataka. The state is facing a 69% decline in groundwater levels, which now have receded to 9.3m, all time lowest in 5 years! When we are confronted by the problem, we know it.
Yet water is not a topic that is on top of our minds. Water culture across the state, at every level, has to change. To ensure this, people’s participation in water is imperative.
Water Table Challenge
We created the strategy and designed a Water Table Challenge as an opportunity and a common platform for individuals, influencers, institutions and enterprises to actively engage with the Govt. and partner in water conservation.
A Water Table Kit was designed to stoke conversations around water.
Made water conversations a ritual at the lunch tables, breakout spaces, water coolers, wash rooms across organizations. We created beautiful coasters for urban tables that have an alarming fact and a call to action!
Posters were installed at water consumption and usage points like rest Rooms, stall doors and water coolers.
