EXPERTS STRESS ON SUSTAINABLE WATER USE & TECH

The WSA recognises the individual and collective efforts being made to achieve the SDG on water, and the Water Champion awards were given to Sadhguru helming the Isha Foundation

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The Emphasising that water is everybody's business, government representatives and experts underscored the criticality of sustainable water use and the imperative need for technological innovations for its effective management at the Water Sustainability Awards (WSA) hosted on the eve of World Water Day in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Observing that vital strategies were needed to combat the challenges faced by the water sector, Debashree Mukherjee, Special Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti said, "We need a big strategy on storage of water - both on the surface and under our feet. How do we improve storage and have it when we need it and where we need it." Touching upon the issue of water equity, she noted the resource has to reach the poorest and most marginalised sections of the society. "We need to work with the States and communities to understand equity issues," she said at the WSA, initiated by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Water Association (IWA), and endorsed by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Mukherjee also emphasised the need to manage the existing storage mechanisms better. "There is an estimation that we will lose 50 billion cubic metres of storage to sedimentation by 2050 if we do not manage our reservoirs better, if we don't manage our catchments better." Noting that water use efficiency in agriculture remains a challenge, she highlighted the need for innovations to address the issue, and importantly, facilitate their move from labs to land. Realising the circular economy of water is another challenge that requires new strategies, she said. "It is worthwhile to have treated water recharge existing water bodies. It is worthwhile to ensure water is treated to a standard so that the recharge of existing waterbodies does not contaminate ground water.