Water Budgeting Need Of Hour To Conserve Ground Water: Js, National Water Mission

Joint Secretary & Advisor, National Water Mission, Dr. C V Dharma Rao on Wednesday stated that the Centre has been consistently engaging with all States and UTs including all relevant stakeholders for putting in place a mechanism for Water Budgeting and a great deal of exercise was done on this front in the recent past.

Addressing a National Water Summit-2018 under aegis of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Rao, however, added that water conservation is the collective responsibility of all stakeholders and the government alone can do a little on this front.

He expressed serious concern on water disproportionate water digging operations being conducted by host of industrial segments without a sense of commitment particularly in construction and steel manufacturing sector since these extract so much of ground water, as a major portion of it go waste.

This tendency needs to be arrested with proper water mapping as well as with a mechanism of water budgeting in place so that water extractions happens with allocated limits, pointed out Dr. Rao.

Since water is a state subject and that Centre has little say on its regulations, therefore, it has been engaging with intense consultation process with States and UTs so that water budgeting is done with proper mechanism in place, he added.

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In his welcome remarks, President, PHD Chamber, Mr. Anil Khaitan emphasized that the all governments of the Indian federal structure should come together and bring out a policy documentation for regulation of water resources since most of these have begun to deplete with ground water levels depleting much faster with accelerated pace as there are no checks on these activities.

Among other who were present on the occasion comprised Member (South) Central Ground Water Board, Dr. E Sampath Kumar; Former Scientist & Head, NEERI, Mr. J K Bassin and Chairman, Water & Solid Waste Management, PHD Chamber, Mr. Varun Gupta.