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Water, water: Everywhere?
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On the occasion of World Water Day (March 22), ICRISAT is playing host to a meet on water conflicts in India
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Photo: C. V. Subrahmanyam
HYDERABAD IS a city of contradictions - here mammoth size, modern shopping malls juxtaposed with monuments of yesteryears; here parks and lakes abound; and advertisers claim we can dial for water as easily as we dial a meal from a restaurant. This happens even while public taps are overcrowded and groundwater levels shrink. Multi-coloured pots around the metro water tankers are a common sight while snow worlds and other water theme parks abound! Hyderabadis have learnt to live with contradictions as an everyday matter. And the biggest contradiction of all is the state of water supply - on one hand there seems to be enough water around to see greenery all around us. On the other hand, not a colony in the twin cities (or one believes so) can boast of 24-hour water supply.
Conflicts
The twin cities' water needs are met from Osmansagar (currently in the course of drying up), Singur, Manjira and Krishna, which too are not in great health. Water has become one of the prime sources of conflict and contention, not only in Andhra Pradesh but across the country. Rifts are created between states, districts and nations around water. As we observe the World Water Day on March 22nd it is time to look at these contradictions, especially the status of water resources not only in Hyderabad but also the state and the country.
In this context, a Policy Dialogue Meeting on Water Conflicts in India is to be held at ICRISAT campus on March 21-22. The Dialogue is being organised by the Forum for Water Conflicts in India in association with WWF International. The Forum, formed in December 2004, comprises of members from organisations such as SOPPECOM (Society for Promoting Participative Ecosystem Management), WWI (World Water Institute) - both based in Pune, Viksat (Ahmedabad), ISEC (Institute for Social and Economic Change) and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, IWMI Tata Water Policy Programme, among others.
The aim of the meeting is to discuss issues surrounding water and water conflicts and evolve strategies towards a policy framework on water conflicts in the country. The meeting is expected to be attended by a host of dignitaries from across the country - activists, academics, legal professionals, civil society groups, journalists and bureaucrats. Journalists Kalpana Sharma, Kumar Ketkar, activist Bharat Patankar, political leader Sompal Sastry, academics Janakarajan (MIDS), Kanchan Chopra (JNU), advocates Niroop, Justice Yatinder Singh, Justice Ravindra Bhat, Justice Madan Lokur are among others who would attend.
According to K.J. Joy (SOPPECOM), coordinator of the Forum, "The significance of this meeting lies in the fact that the single-most reality confronting water sector today are the conflicts of various scales and intensity. Attempts to solve them should be at the heart of water governance."
According to Biksham Gujja, Policy Advisor, Living Waters Programme, WWF, Switzerland (and Convenor, National Civil Society Committee on Interlinking of Rivers), "If India is not taking significant steps and evolving policy and programmes in managing its water resources, in the next decade water conflicts in India will lead to major implications for its economy, social fabric and internal security. It is not the `smart' IT industry, but water which will decide the future of Indian ambitions."
The solutions
The Forumis bringing out a Compendium of Water Conflicts in India compiling around 70 cases of water conflicts across India.
The main agenda of the meeting on March 22 is to share findings from the ongoing study and to brainstorm on the policy and conflict resolution mechanism issues with respect to water conflicts in India.
An exhibition of posters of graphic design and cartoons by Rustam Vania (readers of the magazine Down to Earth and Gobar Times would well recognise him) on water conflicts will also be put up form March 20-22 at ICRISAT campus.
The posters give a succinct representation of the kind of water scenario today and present comic and evocative images of water crisis in the country. The meeting also intends to draw participation from young scholars working on water issues.
R. UMA MAHESHWARI
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