The country can
usher in a quality revolution in the consumption patterns including
water consumption by forming district level population monitoring
committees and fixing responsibility and accountability by a
mixture of motivations and incentives to these district committees.
In her key note address at the National Conference on Interlinking
of rivers the Minister of State for Water Resources, Smt. Vijoya
Chakravarty said NGOs, farmers, water users associations, panchayats
of every district have to be involved in this endeavour. Only
when the Ganga-Brahmaputra basin States of U.P., Bihar, West
Bengal, Assam etc as well as other States resort to grassroots’
level monitoring/control of population, can we hope to provide
quality consumption to our people. Unless and until we do not
realize this direct relationship between a future of clean qualitative
water management and population control and management, our
dreams will face unnecessary hurdles, she said. However, this
can be successfully achieved with the support of our scientific
talent, entrepreneurial skill and strong political commitment
translated through effective government delivery mechanisms.
The Minister said
the new National Water Policy gives direction to Water management
for our emerging future, but there exists a direct linkage between
water scarcity and population boom. Therefore, we need to launch
an all out war through all available democratic means to put
a cap on the growth of population in our country. Expanding
areas of cultivation also lead to expanding volume of water
for irrigation. These factors have been kept in mind while framing
the New Water Policy. Having almost successfully completed the
linking of the Nation through a National highway System, the
Central Government has now embarked upon creating a national
Water Grid through a system of interlinking canals, dams, and
reservoirs etc. She hoped the Conference will deliberate on
the several factors and come out with viable suggestions. The
National Conference has been organised by the Federation of
Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
