 |
|||||
 |
|||||
 |
|||||
Press Release
India close to being
water scarce from water stressed: TERI
Chennai, April 20, 2016:To address the looming
water scarcity and water pollution crisis, The Energy and Resources Institute
(TERI), today announced signing of an MoU with WAPCOS (APSU under the aegis of Union
Ministry of Water Resource, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation,
Government of India). The partnership was announced
at the India Water Forum, which was organised by TERI and the Ministry of Water Resources, River
Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of Indiawith the theme of
‘Water for Sustainability: Towards
Development and Prosperity’. The new partnership will address the
challenges of climate change and water scarcitythrough interventions like
enhancing water use efficiency, water conservation, recycle and reuse, water
demand management through a participatory mechanism for a period of three years.
India is facing multiple challenges in water sectoras many statesare
facing frequent droughtsand groundwater in several regions stands overexploited.
Water is a
finite resource, and its availability will soon be a significant challenge
amongst all users and sectors due to continually rising and competing demand,
inefficient use, pollution, cropping pattern, cross subsidies and potential
risks due to climate change. The continuously declining per capita water
availability in India (from about 5,177 cubic metres (m3 ) in 1951 to 1,545 m3
in 2011) has put the country into a ‘water stressed’ category and is close to
being categorized as ‘water scarce’, said TERI.
The forum also witnessed
participation from Sushri Uma Bharti, Union Minister forWater Resources, River Development
& Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India, as the chief guest. During the inaugural address,
she said, “This
conference can guide us in solving many of the water related challenges that
India is facing now. She further added
that rejuvenating Ganga will become a model for our other rivers. “We should
look at interlinking of rivers. It will be link only surplus and monsoon flows
through new rivers. This will be done in a people and environment friendly
manner. TERI can play a crucial role in this as well as providing solutions for
conserving groundwater.”
TERI mentioned that a combination of interventions at various levels
needs to be undertaken with a participatory approach for sustainable water
management. There exists various innovative ways to conserve water such as use
of drip & sprinkler systems in irrigation, use of water efficient fixtures
& waterless urinals in households, artificial recharge of groundwater,
recycle and reuse of wastewater for non-potable purposes such as gardening,
horticulture, use of real-time sensor based information tools & techniques
for effective decision making etc. Besides these, policy interventions like
incentive & disincentive mechanisms, participatory programs are vital to
the success of water management.
Dr. S K Sarkar, Director, Water Division, TERI said,
“Studies show
that by 2030, the world’s demand of fresh water uses will be over 40% of
existing reliable supplies. The highest water use is in agriculture, where
efficiency is very low, and the demand side needs to be managed. IWF will aim
at and discussing and indicating solutions to these and more.”
Over the years, TERI has been
working with multiple stakeholders at various levels to identify interventions
for policy reforms as well as sustainable and efficient water management
solutions. Working along with several water intensive sectors such as power
plants, heavy engineering, pharmaceuticals, beverages among others, TERI’s work
has focused on enhancing their water use efficiency and design technical,
financial & institutional strategies for water supply & demand
management. TERI also assistslocal communities in interventions on drinking
water and sanitation as well as participatory watershed management and
groundwater conservation.
About TERI
The Energy and Resources Institute is an independent, not-for-profit
research institute focused on energy, environment, and sustainable development
and devoted to efficient and sustainable use of natural resources. Since its
inception in 1974, TERI has emerged as an institution of excellence for its
path-breaking research, and is a global brand widely respected by political
leaders, policy makers, corporate entities as well as the civil society at
large.
Media contacts:
|
TERI
|
Avian Media
|
|
Krishna: 9442191717 krishna@avian-media.com
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment