The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Governor calls for judicious use of water

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Wednesday, Mar 26, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Governor calls for judicious use of water

Special Correspondent

State has six per cent of country’s water resources
75 per cent of surface water used for farming

BANGALORE: Governor Rameshwar Thakur has expressed concern over the depletion of water resources in the State and said the gap between demand and supply is growing at an alarming pace.

Mr. Thakur inaugurated a seminar on “Water resources in Karnataka: emerging challenges and options” organised by Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) and the State Planning Board here on Tuesday.

Recycling

He said recycling of used water, rainwater harvesting and conservation of available water resources were necessary for judicious water management.

“We are aware that water has become an extremely scarce commodity in Karnataka. The rapidly increasing competition among the agricultural, domestic and industrial sectors for the limited amount of usable water resources available in the State has been largely responsible for the present state of affairs,” the Governor said.

Monsoon failure

Failure of the monsoon, catchment degradation and deterioration of traditional sources such as tanks had worsened the situation. The State Water Policy, 2002 had given priority to drinking water, followed by irrigation, hydropower and aquaculture in terms of allocation of water, he said.

Regulatory authority

The Governor highlighted some of the issues raised in the White Paper prepared for the seminar and they included setting up an independent water resources regulatory authority; establishment of an institutional mechanism to take care of all competitive demands; and exploring various options to design, execute, operate and maintain alternative systems.

“We need to recharge our water-table and prevent soil erosion by planting more trees and educating the masses on the judicious use of water,” the Governor said.

Chief Secretary Sudhakar Rao said the State had six per cent of the country’s water resources, and the available water resources were being depleted by increased demand from farmers, industrialists and people in cities.

Mr. Rao referred to the World Water Council Report, 2000 and said the availability of fresh water was declining because of excessive use and wastage of water. Nearly 75 per cent of surface water was being used for agriculture in the State, he said.

Access to water

R.S. Deshpande, professor, ISEC, spoke on drinking water aspects and stressed the need for better water management to provide access to safe water for all.

ISEC chairman S.L. Rao, director N. Jayaram, and irrigation and environmental experts and officials of various departments spoke.

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