Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

‘Plan for water resources management on the anvil’

— Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

WATER CONCERNS: Minister for Water Resources N.K. Premachandran and poet Sugathakumari at the World Water Day observance meet in the city on Saturday.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Minister for Water Resources N.K.Premachandran said here on Saturday that the government was working on an integrated water resources management plan for the State. Delivering the inaugural address at a function organised in connection with the World Water Day, he said the plan would include a water resource data and master plan.

“The preparation of the plan will be taken up under the hydrology project with assistance from the World Bank. It seeks to assess the consumption and depletion of surface and ground water resources in the state and take steps to prevent over exploitation”, he said.

The Minister said moves were on to set up river basin authorities in Kerala. “The State water policy proposes the establishment of authorities for river basins and watersheds. These authorities will monitor and coordinate the activities of various departments involved in water resource management”. He said the Pampa River Basin Authority would be constituted for the second phase of the Pampa Action Plan.

Mr.Premachandran said the impending water crisis in Kerala could be solved only by protecting river basins and watersheds.

“A report released by the United Nations warns of a global water crisis by the year 2025. Kerala is already feeling the pangs of water scarcity. Many parts of the State are facing drought conditions. Over exploitation of groundwater resources is leading to environmental problems, forcing us to depend on rivers to provide piped water to parched areas. It is in this context that a river basin approach to water resource management assumes importance.”

The Minister said sand mining and pollution were posing a grave threat to most rivers. “Water quality is emerging as a major concern for Kerala.” He said the government had completed the first phase of the Sujala scheme aimed at mapping domestic wells and water resources.

Poetess and environmental activist Sugathakumari stressed the need for social auditing of water conservation and management projects to ensure transparency and accountability. She said it was not the dearth of laws but the failure to enforce them that had led to the failure of water resource management projects in Kerala.

“Institutional mechanisms are rendered ineffective before mafia groups that wield immense clout. That is why deforestation and unauthorised sand mining from rivers continue unabated and the contractor- politician nexus thrives. Even the Pollution Control Board has proved to be ineffective”.

A session on ‘Polluted Rivers: Problems and Revival Strategies’ was organised in connection with the event.

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