Chennai, Jan 23 (UNI) Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Tuesday reaffirmed the commitment to strengthen the Centre-State partnership for achieving water security goals in the country.
Chairing a Ministerial session in the two-day ‘All India Secretaries’ Conference on Water Vision @ 2047 – Way Ahead’ organised at Mahabalipuram, about 55 km from here, the Minister flagged the dire needs of collaboration and innovation to ensure the sustainable management of water for the well-being of our communities and the environment.
He also also reaffirmed the commitment to strengthen the Centre-State partnership for achieving goals of water security in the country, in the session held on the opening day of the 2-day meet today.
The conference was being held with the key objective to strengthen the water security of the country.
In all 32-States and Union Territories, 30-Secretaries and more than 300 delegates are participating in this conference, sharing their best practices and action taken on the 22 recommendations of “1st All India Annual State Ministers Conference on Water” held on January, 5 and 6, 2023 at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the clarion call of making India a developed Nation by 2047. Ten Sectoral Group of Secretaries (SGoS) are preparing a blueprint of the plan setting out realistic deadlines and milestones. On the directions of the Sectoral Group of Secretaries, each Ministry has prepared a Vision document pertaining to its sector.
The said 22 recommendations include prioritizing drinking water and its source sustainability, building climate resilience, both demand & supply side management, enhancing water storage both at large and small scale, application of state-of-the-art technology, increasing efficiency of water utilisation, intensifying water conservation programs at every level, encouraging interlinking of rivers, monitoring river health and maintaining environmental flow, undertaking appropriate flood management measures and all these interventions with enhanced people’s participation.
This conference follows up on these recommendations to accelerate action.
This conference is divided into five thematic sessions in the area of water management.
The first thematic session, focusing on Climate Resilience, underscores the urgency of adapting to and mitigating the impacts of a changing climate on our water resources. The second session, Water Governance, acknowledges the need for effective policies, legal and institutional framework for collaborative decision-making.
In the third session, Water Use Efficiency takes centre stage. With the growing demand for water in various sectors, optimizing our water use is paramount. Our fourth theme, recognizes the pivotal role of reservoirs and other storage mechanisms in water management. Finally, People’s Participation emerges as a key theme which facilitates the inclusive decision-making processes by actively involving communities.
Altogether 30 customised presentations on these thematic areas are being made in this conference which will enumerate various initiatives undertaken by States.
A digital collection of curated publication has been the special attraction of this conference which involves the careful selection, organization, and presentation of over 150 relevant publications, research findings, and literature pertaining to water-related issues on five themes of the conference.
A Round Table Conference of Secretaries and CEOs of industries is also lined up towards end of this conference for exploring opportunity to effectively collaborate with industries in the journey of achieving water vision @ 2047.
Expected takeaways of this conference included assessment of actions taken on agreed 22 recommendations; Agreement to accelerate action on areas that are lagging; Evolving Water Vision @ 2047 Conferences as peer learning platform and forum for collaboration and partnerships; Setting a foundation for continuous dialogue on strengthening water security and Identification and sharing of capacity building needs.
The Government of Tamil Nadu is extending all support in organizing this conference which facilitates bringing all the States/ UTs of the country and the Central Departments and Ministries on a single platform.
