Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Q1. What steps should India take to ensure water security and address the interconnected challenges of climate, energy, and agriculture?
India, with 18% of the global population on 2.4% of land, faces water challenges. Half its rivers are polluted, and many reservoirs are low. Despite disaster prep, evolving climatic shocks demand new strategies.
● Recognition of Chronic Risks: India faces challenges such as hotter summers and longer heatwaves, necessitating proactive measures to address water stress and climate impacts (IMD predictions). Moreover, nearly half of India’s rivers are polluted, and three-quarters of its districts are hotspots for extreme climate events.
● Integrated Policy Framework: India houses 18% of the world’s population but has just 4% of global freshwater resources. Therefore, integrated policies recognizing the water-food-energy nexus are essential (population and freshwater statistics).
● Enhanced Water Governance: Despite heavy investments in disaster preparedness, seasonal responses are insufficient to tackle evolving climate risks (discussion on disaster preparedness). Improved governance is necessary to address these evolving challenges effectively.
● Promotion of Water Efficiency: Initiatives like the National Water Mission and AMRUT 2.0 aim to increase water use efficiency and reduce non-revenue water in urban areas (mentioned targets and initiatives).
● Increased Financial Commitments: While climate mitigation receives substantial funding, adaptation efforts in water and agriculture sectors remain underfunded (disparity in funding between mitigation and adaptation).
● Community Engagement: Policies should incorporate localised evidence and community engagement to address specific water challenges (recommendation from CEEW and IWMI analysis).
● Data-driven Approaches: Water accounting principles are essential for promoting water use efficiency and guiding investments in treated wastewater reuse (discussion on water accounting and its importance).
● Coordinated Policy Implementation: Pursuing coherence in water, energy, and climate policies is crucial for transitioning to a water-secure and climate-resilient economy (suggestion for coordinated policy implementation).
Conclusion: While expecting immediate systemic change is unrealistic, starting with greater coherence in water, energy, and climate policies, establishing data-driven baselines for water conservation, and enabling new financial instruments for adaptation investments is crucial. A water-secure economy precedes climate resilience.
Source The Hindu
https://epaper.thehindu.com/ccidist-ws/th/th_chennai/issues/80187/OPS/G92CN0QMM.1+GVSCN0RAF.1.html