Shri G. Krishna Kumar, Chairman, Confederation of Indian
Industry [CII], Kerala State Council,
Shri K.G. Madhu, Chairman, CII, Trivandrum Zone,
Shri M.R. Narayanan, Vice-Chairman,
Dr. Siddeek Ahmed, Chairman & Managing Director,
ERAM Group,
Shri Premal Dave, Head of the Kerala State Office of CII,
Sahodaree Sahodaranmaare,
Ellaavarkkum Ente Namaskaaram,
It gives me great pleasure to be with you all and to deliver the valedictory address at the Confederation of Indian Industry Water Summit 2018, on Smarter Solutions for a Better Tomorrow.
As we all know, Water is one of the five Elements, which we in India call Panchabhuta. Though it was usual for us to take the availability of Water for granted, we have now begun to realize how costly a resource it is. Therefore, I compliment the Confederation of Indian Industry for taking up Water Resources Management as the major focus area for this summit.
Water is a unique resource which is core to sustainability of life on Earth. More than being a basic need of human beings, it acts as an economic catalyst and maintains ecological balance. Besides, almost all the major challenges we face today, including food security, health, climate change, economic growth, and poverty alleviation are intrinsically related to Water. What is worrying is the paradox of half the usable water in India going waste, at a time when over 77 million people in our country still lack access to clean water. More alarming is the projection that by the year 2050, our water consumption is likely to surpass the total water available in our country.
The global scenario is also not that rosy, since one out of six people, which comes to more than a billion, do not have adequate access to safe water. The United Nations predicts that by 2025, half of the countries worldwide will face water stress or outright shortages. By 2050, three out of four people around the globe could be affected by water scarcity.
As a person coming from the Judiciary, I must remind this august audience that as per our Constitution, Water is subject to the jurisdiction of the State. This has helped our States to frame regulations in accordance with their water profile and to enforce them at the local level. India also has a National Water Policy; it was last reviewed in 2012 with the aim of ensuring an inclusive, equitable and socially just planning, distribution and management of water resources.
At present, India occupies 2 percent of the world’s land area, has 16 percent of the world population and 15 percent of livestock, but we have only 4 percent of the water resources of the world. In water availability, we stand at 133rd position out of 180 nations and in water quality, we stand at a dismal 120th position among 122 nations. The economic impact of such issues comes to a loss of almost six billion US Dollars a year due to water-related diseases alone. It is in such a context that the Government of India had launched the National Mission for Clean Ganga or Namami Gange and a project for interlinking of rivers.
With the Indian Water sector facing challenges due to increasing agricultural and industrial consumption, wastage, pollution, water cycle imbalances, lack of technology, etc. we should shift our focus from the concept of water supply to efficient water management. For this, I understand that India would need a huge investment of 13 billion US Dollars.
Here too, I would like to strike a personal note regarding a verdict I had given in the Reliance Gas Judgment in which
I had observed that in a national democracy like ours, the national assets belong to the people and the same should be explored through Public Sector Undertakings. Water is a major national resource, but seeing the magnitude of the issue, I doubt whether the herculean task of effective water management could be carried out without strong support from the Industry. It is here that the Confederation of Indian Industry, non-governmental organizations, civil society groups, and businesses could work together to chalk out national and regional approaches for cooperation and to ensure coordination to address our water security concerns.
The use of technology as an efficient enabler of change is essential in water management too. We must encourage investment in Water Management Technologies and promote collaboration through incentives. Developing low cost technologies for desalination of water and better drip irrigation for agriculture also need priority. Let us also help our farmers through innovations and investments aimed at producing more food with less water, such as new crop varieties that can thrive even in low water levels or brackish or saline water and even in drought. I would suggest the provision of maximum incentives to farmers who use such crops and technologies.
Coming to Kerala, a drought is already at our door-steps. We have over 40 rivers and very little mechanism to utilize the water that flows through them. We have to evolve a policy that ensures availability of clean and pure water for every member of society. But, much more than policy, we need people's action in avoiding pollution of potable water. Our people need to be educated on recycling of water, rain water harvesting and the need for effective treatment facilities to handle waste water.
It is sad that our people do not see the silent message given by a bottle of drinking water, which now costs Rs.20/-. The money we give is actually the price we pay for having used up and wasted in the last 50 years, more water than what could be spent in centuries. The bottle of water actually warns us to conserve water and to help to raise the ground-water levels for future generations, because the world belongs to posterity and we are just temporary custodians of this Earth.
I understand that the Summit & Expo on Water Resource Management had discussed all these issues in detail and evolved mechanisms for better Water Management. I once again compliment the Confederation of Indian Industry for organizing this Conference in a befitting manner and the ERAM Group for supporting this noble cause.
Ellavarkkum Ente Aashamsakal
Nanni
Jai Hind
