From Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi: The Union Minister of State for Water Resources and Minority Affair, Mr Vincent Pala on Thursday said that India, despite of the vast natural water resources, has become a water stressed country with more than 18 percent of the world’s population but only 4% renewable water resources.
The Union Minister returned from Tehran after addressing the 8th meeting governing board meeting of regional centre on urban water management representing India in Tehran on the concluding day.
Integrated urban water management (IUWM) covers all aspects of interaction of resources, infrastructure systems and environment and includes all other non-technical aspects related to freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems.
For urban area IUWM includes both quantity and quality aspects of rainwater, resources and assets.
Member states include Oman, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Pakistan, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Iraq, Bahrain and India besides host Iran and UNESCO.
The principal objective of this two day event was to support efforts in solving water and sanitation problems in the region covered byRCUWM and beyond in order to comply with Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Johannesburg Plan.
In India, like in other developing countries, large numbers of households in cities do not have access to one of the most basic of human needs.
As per the latest National Sample Survey only 47 per cent urban households have individual water connections and the rest have shared or common water supply, he added.
But the problem in India and elsewhere is compounding with water scarcity growing and , water is getting increasingly polluted, which is further increasing the cost of treatment or leading to increasing deaths and illnesses, Mr Pala said.
There are other similar challenges, like excessive groundwater depletion, un-sustainability of water supplies leading to slip back habitations, he said.
Mr Pala said that the Centre has done excellent through the year and these activities and projects, particularly, Urban Water Management under Climate Change Conditions, Flash Flood Management and Drought Management Strategies.
He also offered India’s experiences and expertise in these fields and other issues of water management for everybody’s benefit.
