Mangaluru : Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat along with the Department of Information and Public Relations launched an awareness campaign on sanitation and water conservation on wheels here on Tuesday.

The vehicle of the Information Department would tour 20 gram panchayats comprising all five taluks in the district. Vice-President of the panchayat Satish Kumpala flagged off the vehicle.

A team of artistes from Hassan would stage ‘Togalu Gombeyata’ to create awareness.

Pamphlets would be distributed to people in places wherever the vehicle halts, an official said.

The main focus of the campaign is to create awareness on rainwater conservation, have clean drinking water, build toilets and not to have open defecation and manage the waste effectively without dumping them on roadsides and open places.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Kumpala said that though Dakshina Kannada received abundant rainfall, some villages faced water scarcity in the summer. It showed that there is a need to harvest rainwater to recharge ground water. People should use water judiciously, he said.

Chief Executive Officer of Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat P.I .Sreevidya said that if solid waste was not managed effectively and people did not have clean drinking water, it would give scope for public health issues.