Bhubaneswar: Urging people to adopt responsible water-use practices and make conservation a daily habit, housing and urban development minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra on Friday launched a statewide ‘Sujala’ campaign from Bhubaneswar.The awareness campaign, centred on the theme, ‘Water conservation, a necessity today, the destiny of future generations’, will be held till Oct 16 to sensitise residents about water conservation, safe drinking water and prevention of waterborne diseases.Mahapatra said preserving water was crucial for a sustainable future, calling for active public participation to curb wastage and protect available sources.Through awareness activities, people will be encouraged to use water judiciously and adopt simple conservation measures at home and in communities, officials said.A key focus will be the link between safe drinking water and public health. People will be educated about diseases caused by contaminated water, including diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid and jaundice, and advised to store drinking water in clean, covered containers, maintain household hygiene and prevent pollution of sources.The campaign will promote steps such as turning off taps when not in use, repairing leaks in taps and pipelines promptly, and avoiding dumping waste near rivers, ponds, tube wells and other water bodies. It will also stress rainwater harvesting, water reuse, and regular cleaning of overhead and underground storage tanks.With the motto, ‘Water supply is our responsibility; water conservation is your duty’, officials said public participation was vital for sustainable management and long-term security.To strengthen public engagement, the department urged residents to use toll-free helpline numbers 155359 and 1800-1216-833 for water-supply-related grievances.Bhubaneswar-Ekamra MLA Babu Singh attended the inaugural programme as guest of honour. Engineer-in-Chief, Public Health Engineering Organisation, Bilas Behera; Watco managing director Debabrata Mohanty and other officials were also present at the launch.