WATER MANAGEMENT
and equitable distribution of water should be encouraged. It should encompass the missions of community empowerment of water management, protection as well as nurturing of water bodies at the grassroots and building the capacity of communities, using strategies like networking amongst communities, public agencies, water professionals; strengthening public-public partnerships; formation of core community-based water management team- and capacity- building.
Micro-irrigation at the grassroots
Drinking water supply and sanitation are the responsibility of state governments.
level should be encouraged as the conveyance loss in micro-irrigation is minimal. Further, as a smaller power unit is required, it eases the pressure on power consumption. Weed growth is inhibited and disease incidences are reduced due to limited wetted area, thus not only aiding conservation, but also augmenting the economic returns for the resource users. An effective institutional
been circulated to enable states and union territories to enact suitable legislation to regulate and control of ground-water development. So far, the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and the union territories of Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Lakshadweep and Puducherry have enacted legislation to deal with ground water issues. Drinking water supply is one
of the six components of Bharat Nirman, a flag-ship programme of the government of India, which was conceived as a plan to be implemented in four years, from 2005-06 to 2008-09, to build the rural infrastructure. Irrational and unsustainable water withdrawals from ground-water tanks and reservoirs for agricultural and industrial purposes are increasing at an alarming rate, which, in turn, have created an acute drinking water scarcity for the people, besides causing “ground-water depletion” in many states. This has aggravated water quality problems associated with excess fluoride, arsenic and brackishness in certain
areas and has resulted in various diseases like fluorosis and arsenical dermatitis. The Human Development Report, 2006, had called for a Global Action Plan under G8 leadership to resolve the growing water and sanitation crisis that causes nearly 2 million child deaths every year. Drinking water supply and
sanitation are the responsibility of state governments. These are included in the Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution of India as among the subjects entrusted to the panchayats/ municipalities by the states. Since the First Five-Year Plan, the government of India and the state governments have substantially invested in the water supply sector to provide potable water to the people. It is perceived by many that by harvesting flood water and wasted rain water, India could easily tide over its water crisis.
The road map ahead Across the world, water scarcity is largely caused by the destruction and mismanagement of water resources and water bodies. The tendency to over-exploit and meet
the current requirements for irrigation, energy and industry have resulted in unplanned utilization of water resources. Sustainable development of water resources and their efficient management have become a necessity. While undertaking requisite measures for comprehensive and integrated development of available water resources, water resource management strategies should be carefully designed to help the society and nation at large. There is a pressing need to
integrate water projects to fulfil as many diverse demands as possible, constructing efficient multi-purpose water storage structures to provide irrigation, navigation, flood control, recreation opportunities, power generation as well as consistent water supply, and using water resources management to direct regional development, thereby maximizing economic and social returns. Community-based water management with a vision of treating water as a common property to be managed locally by the community for sustainable development
framework to regulate water resources within the state is indispensable for judicious, equitable and sustainable management, and allocation and utilization of water resources, given the fact that water is a finite resource and that it is crucial to sustain life, attain development and preserve the environment. Water as a resource thus needs to be brought under a regulatory framework to contend with all these issues in a holistic manner. Water conservation and management to ward off water scarcity in the future is a grave challenge confronting the international community. Global problems call for universal solutions. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, having membership of Parliaments across the world, has to play a proactive role by encouraging Parliamentarians to build a consensus in their national Parliaments on the inevitability of water resource management. Collective action by the comity of nations will definitely ensure that the water requirements of coming generations are not compromised.
The Parliamentarian | 2013: Issue One | 21
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