‘Need to manage water resources to avert crisis’

Drinking water is a big problem in rural areas of Rajasthan and realising gravity of the problem, European Union under its state partnership programme has in last 10 years spent about ₹500 crore over water resource management

It is high time that better and improved water management practices are adopted in Rajasthan, which despite being a state with the largest area in the country, has only 1.16 percent surface water and 1.72 percent groundwater.

Experts expressed this view during the three-day national conference on ‘Innovative Planning and Management of Scarce Water Resources’ jointly organised by the European Union, Panchayati Raj department and Indira Gandhi Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Institution. The conference began on Sunday.

The experts expressed concern over the depleting water table in Rajasthan.

“Drinking water is a big problem in rural areas of Rajasthan and realising gravity of the problem, European Union under its state partnership programme has in last 10 years spent about ₹500 crore over water resource management,” said Dr Johann Hesse, the key speaker at the conference and counsellor of head of cooperation, European Union. The amount has been spent on water conservation projects in 82 blocks of 11 districts of the state and it has yielded positive results, he claimed.

“Water is considered as the most crucial resource in National Development Planning in the 21st Century. The proper management of our limited water resources will be essential to ensure food security for our growing population and poverty elimination,” Hesse said. He added, “It will also be essential to avoid the growing conflicts and the possibility of social unrest in the country in future due to water scarcity.”

Experts said that the water policy formulated in 2010 in Rajasthan needs to be implemented effectively. Sudarshan Sethi, the additional chief secretary of rural development department of Rajasthan, said that water management can be done in best possible way with the participation by Panchayati Raj institutions.

Several other experts also came out with the view on water conservation in a technical session. The conference was attended by zila pramukhs, zila parishad officials and NGO representatives from 11 districts of the state.