A Sombre Appraisal of Water Resources

8/6/2019 A Sombre Appraisal of Water Resources

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"The Hindu" - Hindi Translation

Contributed By: Mr. Prem Kumar, Basic IAS Academy

A sombre appraisal of water resources


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In a mid-term review, the Planning Commission

calls for a holistic approach to water management,based on the hydrologic cycle in place of the silosinto which the resource has been divided.

1. In the Planning Commissions 11th mid-termappraisal report, Chapter 21 is devoted to Water Resources. Recognising that the problems in this areaappear more serious than originally assessed, the appraisalcalls for a holistic approach based on the science of thehydrologic cycle, to supplant the many differentadministrative compartments into which water management is currently divided. The salient findings of the report include the unsustainable depletion of groundwater caused by a progressive shift over the pastdecades from the use of surface water to moreconveniently accessible groundwater; poor projectformulation coupled with shortfalls in the Centralgovernments support to enhance realisation of theirrigation potential; and the need for cautionary diligence

before embarking on the ambitious project to interlink rivers. In conclusion, the report urges the implementationof the widely spelt remedial measures to protect water quantity and quality. It also recommends that rain-harvesting be enhanced, artificial recharge structures

energised, water-use efficiency improved, and treatmentand reclamation of urban waste water bettered.

2.As a planning document, the report aptly focusseson how existing water-use methods can be improved andenhanced through monetary and administrative reforms.The report defers unitary treatment of the hydrologicalcycle to the 12th Five-Year Plan. Even so, it is pertinentto examine what is involved in taking a holistic hydrologic-cycle view of the issue.

3. Factor of uncertainty4.Perhaps the starting point is to recognise that the

water over India is a finite, limited resource with uncertainannual variability. As such, it is to be monitored andmanaged on various spatial and temporal scales. Thus,the overall task is fundamentally resource-limited. Inother words, the nature of the resource is no more anexternality. Traditional practices of using the mostconvenient source available were policy-limited in thesense that when water was assumed to be freely available,

policy would encourage the use of the most convenient

A sombre appraisal of water resources

T.N. Narasimhan and V.K. Gaur Courtesy : - The Hindu 9 October , 2010

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1 ;kstuk vk;ksx dh X;kjgoha e/; l= ewY;kaduds 21osa v/;k; esa iw.kZ :i ls ty lalk/kuksa dh ppkZ dh x

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4 lcls igyh ckr rks ;g le>uh gksxh fd Hkkjr ikuh dh deh gS] lhfer lzksr gS ftudh okf"kZd miyC/k?kVrh c


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source. Given this perception, what needs to be done isto effect an orderly transition from a policy-limited mind-set to one of resource-limited mind-set. This perspective

provides a context to examine what a holistic view of the hydrologic cycle entails.

5.Given a watershed or a river basin of appropriatescale of interest, a water budget allowing for evapo-transpiration and environmental flows, limits utilisablewater to about 15 per cent of the total annual precipitation.This includes surface water and groundwater, includingartificial recharge and rain-harvesting. Since surfacewater and groundwater are essentially components of the same resource, it would appear prudent not to separatethem any longer. This notion is already central to the oft-declared conjunctive strategy of water management.Within the constraint of this water availability, we have tofit in all the extant water use and distribution structures

public, private, and cooperative to optimise its useamong the stake-holders. Deceptively simple in logic, thisis a daunting, formidable challenge that confronts allsegments of Indias society, from the lay person to statefunctionaries and learned academies. The quality of their individual and collective responses to this fundamentalissue will determine the quality of adaptation to thescenarios of severe scarcity that are unfolding.

6.In order to improve the chances of a transitionhappening from the silos to the hydrologic-cycle

perspective, informed debates involving earth scientistsand engineers are essential. They should presentknowledge bases for decision options, among socialscientists and administrators who formulate policies, andamong citizens in general, who by the dint of intuitivevisualisation and experience of the impact of these policies,may contribute wisdom. Such wide-ranging discoursesare indispensable to define the collective anddifferentiated responsibilities of the various segments of society, in a common bid to conserve and safeguard theintegrity of a resource that is vital for human survival.Yet, the Planning Commissions report devotes attention

primarily to administrative and financial reforms, which by themselves will hardly help change the status quo.Can the country wait until the next Plan to consider theimperatives of a unitary hydrological cycle to guide itscourse?

7. National water policy8.Indeed, one may argue that the time to act is

now, especially in view of the Water Mission statementissued by the Prime Ministers Climate Council in May2010. That statement envisages a national water policy

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oxZ rFkk fo}rtu 'kkfey gSA bl fo"k; esa mudh O;fDrxr v lkewfgd izfrf;k bls ykxw djus dh xq.kkRedrk dk fu/djsxhA vHkh rks ikuh dh deh dh xaHkhjrk tks Li"V ug

og Hkh lkeus vk,xhA6 flyks l ls gkbMkWfyd lkbfdy dsijkoZ ru djkus ij

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oSKkfudksavkSj iz'kkldks adks uhfr fu/kkZj.k dsfo"k; esat:jh lykg

nsaxs] lkekU; ukxfjdks adkstkudkjh nsxsa] rkfd uhfr;ksads fo"k; esavius vuqHkoksavkS j izHkkoks ads fo"k; es ale>nkjh ls dke ysusdk fopkj nslds aA bl izdkj dsfoLr` r okrkZyki lekt ds fofHkUu oxk Z adh ftEesnkfj;ks adsfu/kkZ j.k ds fy, vfr vko';d gS a] osgh yksxks adks

le>k ik,xs afd ekuo dsvfLrRo ds fy, ty la lk/kuks adscpko dh fdruh vf/kd vko';drk gSA vHkh rd rks;kstuk vk;ksx dh fjiksVZuseq [; :i ls iz'kklfud vkS j fokh; lq /kkjks aij gh /;ku fn;k gS ftlls ;Fkk fLFkfr dkscnyuses adksbZ fo'ks"k lgk;rk ugha fey ik,xhA D;k ns'k vHkh lq /kkjks adk ba rtkj vxyh ;ks tuk rd djus dh fLFkfr es agSftlesa;wfuVjh gkbMkWfyd lkbfdy ds fo"k; es afopkj

fd;k tk,xk\8 okLro es arks] ;g rdZ fn;k tk ldrk gS fd rRdky dke

djus dh t:jr gS fo'ks"k :i ls ebZ 2010 es a izkbe fefuLVlZDykbesV dkmafly }kjk tkjh okVj fe'ku LVsVes aV dsifjiz s{; es aAbl LVsVes aV es abl ckr ij cy fn;k x;k gS fd 2013 rd ty uhfr fu/kkZfjr tkuh gSA D;k ;g y{; ;kstuk vk;ksx dh ;kstuk ls leUo;

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ownloaded From: http://www.upscportal.comTHE HINDU: Hindi Translation

http://www.upscportal.com


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being put in place by 2013. Should not that goal becoordinated with the Planning Commissions plans for theimmediate future?

9.It is also relevant to consider the role of theCentral government in the light of a unitary hydrologicalcycle. The Commissions report accepts the extant policyof water being a State subject, continuing in perpetuity.This implicitly relegates the Centres role to merely

providing monetary incentives for growth. However, basedon developments relating to water policy in the EuropeanUnion and other countries, one may visualise that theCentre has a far more important role to play in providinga heavy philosophical anchor that will give character to anational water policy as envisaged in the Water Mission.Elsewhere, we have emphasised the high desirability of aConstitutional mandate on water that would re-examineexisting laws and policy to creatively respond to the new

knowledge of water science that has been gained sincetheir initial formulation.10. Earth-related knowledge11. So, it would be disheartening if India chooses to

defer action in grappling with the complex task of water management that demands participation by the varioussegments of its diverse society. At an infrastructure level,the time is now to build institutions and training facilitiesto monitor complex earth systems, disseminate informationon a real-time basis, and equally important, carry outresearch on understanding, and adapting to, these systemsto delineate policy options that may become the basis for future legislative and regulatory acts. There are seriousconcerns that earth-related knowledge is lagging behindthe physical and biological sciences in India.

12. Indias vision for food security and economicsecurity will be in jeopardy without the availability of stabilised water supplies over the coming years. For Indias gifted and the bright, the most challenging futurelies in advancing knowledge and understanding of thecomplex web of earth resource systems, water, land andthe biological habitat through which matter and energyflow incessantly to restore equilibrium, and in the process,fashion the environment in which everyone lives and

breathes. The task is formidable, but this is a challengethat India shares with many other countries. There are

9 ;g ;wfuVjh gkbMkWfyd lkbfdy ds ifjizs{; ljdkj dh Hkwfedk ij Hkh fopkj djuk vko';d gSA deh'ku dfjiksVZ ;g Lohdkjrh gS fd ty uhfr dk fo"k; jkT;ksa ls lE

kr gSA bl izdkj rks dsUnz dh ftEesnkjh dsoy fodkl ds fokh; vuqnku iznku djus ek= dh gh gSA ;wjksih; ;wf

vU; ns'kksa ij utj Mkys rks Li"V gS fd tyuhfr ds fodkl ddk;Z dsUnz dk vf/kd gS] og ,d vge Hkwfedk fuHkk ldrh okVj fe'ku ds fy, ,d jk"Vh; ty uhfr cukus ds fo"k; esank'kZfud dh Hkwfedk fuHkk ldrh gSA blds bykok geufo"k; esa laoS/kkfud eatwjh dh vR;f/kd bPNk ij cy fn;k

orZeku fu;eksa dk iquZfujh{k.k djsaxh vkSj ,slh uhfviuh jpukRed izfrf;k nsaxh tks ty foKku dh tkudkjh H

miyC/k djkus esa l{ke gksaxhA10 Hkw fe ls lacaf/kr Kku 11 blfy, ;g fLFkfr cgqr nq[kn gksxh ;fn Hkkjr

izca/ku tSls tfVy dk;Z ls vius dks cpkus dh dksf'k'k dflQZ bl otg ls fd blesa fofHkUu lektksa dk fofHkUu :iHkkxhnkjh dh t:jr gksxhA vk/kkjHkwr Lrj ij vc ges

laLFkk,a vkSj izf'k{k.k lqfo/kk,a miyC/k djkuh pkfg, tkfe laca/ kh tfVy fLFkfr dh tkudkjh nsa] lgh le; ds vk/kkj ij lwpuknsus dk dke djsa] le>nkjh ds fy, izf'k{k.k miyC/k djk,abu fof/k;ksa dks uhfr fodYiksa esa 'kkfey djsa tks HkfovkSj fu;a=d fu;e cu ldsA bl fo"k; ij lHkh dks xaHkhj fpUgS fd Hkwfe lEcU/kh Kku fQthdy vkSj ckW;ksykWftfiNM+rk tk jgk gSA

12 vkus okys o"kksZa esa ;fn fu;fer ty lIy

izca/k ugha gks ik;k rks Hkkjr dh [kk| lqj{kk vkSj vkfdks [krjk iSnk gks tk,xkA Hkkjr dk mTtoy Hkfo";] tksegRoiw.kZ gS og Hkwfe lalk/kuksa] ty] tehu vkSj ckvfLrRo dks lgh izdkj le>us ij fuHkZj djrk gSA blh i;kZoj.k Hkh fuHkZj gS ftlesa lkekU; O;fDr lkal ysrk vO;rhr djrk gSA dk;Z vko';d gS] fdUrq ;g Hkkjr ds fy, ,dpSysat Hkh gS ftlesa mldk vU; ns'kksa ds lkFk eqdkcyk Hkh gvolj gSa fd jpukRed lksp cukbZ tk, vkSj fo'o dk usr`




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opportunities for creative thinking and breakthroughs thatmay enable India to provide world leadership. Much willdepend on how the countrys leadership, and those whohelp fashion policies, choose to act.

13. ( T.N. Narasimhan is Emeritus Professor inthe Department of Materials Science and Engineering,and the Department of Environmental Science, Policyand Management, University of California at Berkeley([email protected]). Vinod K. Gaur is with theIndian Institute of Astrophysics and the CSIR Centre for Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation,Bangalore ([email protected]).

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13 Vh-,u- uj flEgk dSfyQks Zfu;k dh cds Zyh fo'ofo|ky;esa eSVsfj;y lkbal ,.M ,Utuh;fjax rFkk fMikVZes

,uok;jesaVy lkbZal] ikWfylh ,.M eSustesaV ds ,ehjsV~gSA Jh fouksn dsxkS j eSFkseSfVdy ekWMfyax ,.M dEI;q V fleq ys'ku dslh- ,l- vkj- dsUnz rFkk bafM;u bULVhV~;w V vkWQ ,LV~ ksfQftDl esa dk;Zjr~ gSA



A Sombre Appraisal of Water Resources

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