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5-Nov-2022: 7th India Water Week-2022 Culminates with Valedictory Function

The 7th India Water Week-2022 which was being held at India Expo Centre in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, culminated with the valedictory function today in the august presence of Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar. The Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of Jal Shakti, Uttar Pradesh Shri Swatantra Dev Singh, Secretary, DoWR&GR, MoJS Shri Pankaj Kumar, Special Secretary, DoWR, RD&GR, MoJS, Ms. Debashree Mukherjee graced the occasion.

  • Technical session held on Reuse & recycle of waste water for water resilience & water market
  • Panel discussion held on aligning with nature while ensuring water security
  • Side event held on Sustainable development of water commons through community Swaraj
  • Session on partnership with community through Panchayat Raj Institution, Self Help Group and NGOs

Vice-President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar appreciated the efforts put in by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in organising this mega event where delegates from India and abroad attended. Shri Dhankhar highlighted the programmes of the Ministry of Jal Shakti for various water conservation/management. Shri Dhankhar also called for taking proactive initiatives to resolve inter-state water disputes in the true spirit of federalism. He stressed that “these disputes are in favor of none and go against the very interests of the country and people at large.” Shri Dhankhar exhorted that with several initiatives being taken by the Government, common man is now living a better life. He appreciated the efforts of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and the new dimension it has given to the meaning of Sanitation and Cleanliness.

Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Jal Shakti appreciated the efforts made in organising 7th IWW and appealed to take forward the recommendations emerged out. Sh. Shekhawat conveyed his dedication to giving a prosperous and water secured future to the future generations.

Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare raised the slogan ‘Jal Bachao Jeevan Bachao’. Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare addressed the gathering and emphasized on the need to bring new and innovative technologies to strengthen agriculture and reduce the use of water in irrigation through various measures. Shri Pankaj Kumar, Secretary, DoWR, RD&GR, Ministry of Jal Shakti delivered the welcome address . Ms. Debashree Mukherjee, Special Secretary, DoWR, RD&GR, read out the brief report and important recommendations emerged from the 7th IWW-2022.The Water Warriors, School Children from various schools also took part in the event.

There was one Technical session on Reuse & recycle of waste water for water resilience & water market. Recycling of industrial return effluents is considered as a viable option to reduce industrial water demand. Issues like usable water sources, drivers for the realisation of drought proof water management option, recycling/ reuse applications and sustainability leading to water supply security are discussed. Lack of awareness in scientific aspects of septic tank design and the need for regular maintenance and upkeep of the same were stressed. Encouraging Public Social Private Partnership with Tech-driven approach with use of spatial technology was advocated.

A side event on Sustainable development of water commons through community Swaraj-A key solution for water security was also organised by M/s. DHAN Foundation. Shri V. Venkatesan, Programme Leader, DHAN Foundation and his team shared their experience and milestones achieved in community swaraj for water security.

Panel discussion on aligning with nature while ensuring water security, the challenges and opportunity was also held under the Chairmanship of Prof. A.K. Gosain, ex-Professor & Head, Civil Engineering Dept. IIT, Delhi. Eminent panelists Dr. Sharad Jain, NIH, Roorkee, Dr. K. Ramesh, Scientist-E, WII, Shri N. Kumar, Vice President, WWF, Ms. Aishwarya Dhawan, IIT, Mumbai, Dr. Afroz Ahmad, IIT Roorkee, Expert Member, NGT, Shri Sanjay Gangwar, Director, CWC, Shri Y.B. Sharma, CGWB Bhopal participated in the discussion.  The Water Poverty Index (WPI) was emphasised as a systematic and integrated indicator for water security.

The event on Atal Bhujal Yojna + NAQUIM chaired by Shri Sunil Kumar, Chairman, CGWB was also organised. Shri K.C. Naik, Former Chairman, CGWB & Member, and Shri Praful Saxena, Project Director, Atal Bhujal Yojna co-chaired the event. The scheme was launched for improvement of groundwater management through community participation, impacting around 78 districts and 8350 Gram Panchayats of Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan States. The achievements in both Atal Bhujal Yojna and NAQUIM programmes were apprised to the participants.

Under the National Water Mission programme of Ministry of Jal Shakti, session on partnership with community through Panchayat Raj Institution(PRI), Self Help Group(SHG) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)  chaired by Shri Sunil Kumar Arora, Advisor,(C&M), National Water Mission deliberated covering challenges in accessibility for rural water supply, quality and service delivery, safe management of black & grey water. He also stressed for ensuring awareness on access to functional household tap connections(FHTC), and operation & maintenance of water supply schemes.

24-Sep-2019: President of India Inaugurates 6th India Water Week-2019

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the 6th India Water Week-2019 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. The theme of the India Water Week-2019 is ‘Water Cooperation – Coping with 21st Century Challenges’ and it is being organised by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that cooperation between different stakeholders is critical, if we are to face the challenges concerning water effectively. Water issues are too multi-faceted and complex to be solved by only the government or just one nation. All nations and their water communities have to come together to help build a water sustainable future for all.

The President said that we often talk of reducing our “carbon-footprint”.  It is time we talk to reducing our “water-footprint” as well. Our farmers, corporate leaders and government bodies need to actively consider the “water-footprint’’ of different crops and industries. We need to encourage agricultural and industrial practices that have the least water-footprint.  

The President said that managing and mapping ground-water resources is also an important aspect of water governance. The widespread use of boring machines has led to unregulated and excessive exploitation of ground-water. We have to value our ground-water and be responsible. We have to ensure that our precious rainwater does not get wasted. We need to store and capture our rainwater by utilizing our existing reservoirs, dams, other water bodies and by adopting water harvesting measures in our homes and neighbourhoods.

The President said that while we seek solutions to address different water-related issues, we should not lose sight of our age-old methods of conserving water. A blending of our traditional knowledge with modern technologies and techniques can help us become a water secure nation. He called upon all stakeholders to pledge to achieve water-related goals with robust cooperation among all states, public and private organisations and people. He said that over the past five years, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan saw participation of people from all strata of society as well as organisations, who took responsibility and made it their personal mission. We all need to show the same dedication and commitment towards Jal Shakti Abhiyan.

The President said that the ‘National Mission for Clean Ganga’ entails numerous projects to ensure the continuous and unpolluted flow of the Ganga. He emphasized that making Ganga and our other rivers clean cannot be a mission of the Government alone. It has to be our collective endeavour and our collective promise. He said that as citizens we must contribute to this cause. For instance, we recently celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi and Navratri is a few days away. We need to ensure that the idols of deities immersed in the rivers are made of environment-friendly materials. It will help keep the rivers clean and ensure the safety of marine life.