Thara criticises feudal mindset of city dwellers in addressing water challenges
With increase in competing demands for water, an Integrated Urban Water Management & Planning would be an important step towards ensuring the water security of the nation, says G Asok Kumar, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Water Mission, urging for decentralized approach in managing water in urban areas.
Rainwater harvesting, collecting sewage, recycling and protecting river system should be a central component of Integrated urban water management, he told a CII Conference on Urban Water Management organised held virtually on 9 Sept 2021.
The resident welfare associations have a major role in influencing urban water management at household level, added Kumar, stressing on more coordination between various authorities in the urban water sector.
Going forward, it will be imperative to reduce dependency on freshwater and put treated water for non-potable purpose, he underlined.
A collective consciousness at city level can lead to paradigm shift in water management, said D Thara, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.
She criticised the existing feudal mindset of city dwellers in addressing the water challenges and called upon for a democratic and scientific approach for ensuring water security.
Thara called on CII to reach out to its members and create a willingness amongst industry to prioritize use of treated water for their operations.
Sustainable availability of water both for rural and urban is a big challenge which requires a sensitive approach to address the water needs of the country, noted Avinash Mishra, Advisor – Water Resources & Land Resources, NITI Aayog.
He underscored for ensuring sustainability of source, revival of traditional water bodies, water budgeting, dual plumbing and participatory ground water management for changing the water trajectory in urban areas.
“Rivers are among the most productive ecosystem a city can have. Rivers have strong economic, social and cultural value and healthy rivers are a vital cog for sustainable development. However, a number of development pressures have led to the deterioration of state of rivers over the years,” highlighted Dr Victor R Shinde, Team Lead – Water and Environment, National Institute of Urban Affairs.
Dr Shinde stressed that managing urban rivers is an emerging paradigm in sustaining social, economic and environmental development. A collaborative effort amongst stakeholder will bring water to the centre of sustainability.
He highlighted the role of industry in introducing new & emerging technologies and forging feasible PPP ventures in the water sector.
Rajesh Sharma, Chairman CII National Council on Water & CMD, ION Exchange (India) Ltd gave a clarion call for innovation to optimize water use efficiency.
At the city level, in the contemporary context, it is important to realize wastewater as an alternative source of water which not only reduces pollution but also saves freshwater. He also stressed on a decentralized approach and involvement of city dwellers to bring about an ownership in managing the dwindling resource.
Responsible cities will have to demonstrate implementing integrated approach to water management, said Ananya Singhal, Conference Chairman & JMD, Secure Meters Ltd.
As cities continues to grow it will be important to reduce consumption, reuse treated water and restore water bodies, he added.
To address the challenges of urban water management, N K Ranganath, Co-Chair, CII NCW Core Group on Urban Water Management & Member Advisory Board, CII Water Institute, called for capacity development of urban planners to implement holistic water management.
He stressed on adhering to the principle of 5R – reduce, reuse, recycle, restore and recharge for managing the scarce resources. #investment #projects #infrastructure #water #projects /fiinews.com
