Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | It's time water is optimally priced: PM-Gargi Parsai

It's time water is optimally priced: PM-Gargi Parsai

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Apr 12, 2012   modified Modified on Apr 12, 2012

The time has come for optimal pricing of water and power to prevent an unlimited pumping of groundwater and aid better coordination amongst competing demands for the scarce resource, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here on Tuesday.

Dr. Singh's observations come at a time when there is a debate on the pricing of water and privatisation of services in the sector. The Ministry of Water Resources is working on a reforms-oriented new national water policy, which is likely to be finalised by the end of the month.

Common property

Hinting at strict laws to regulate groundwater, Dr. Singh said every landholder had the right to pump unlimited quantities of water from borewells on his ground. “Inadequate and sub-optimal pricing of both water and power is promoting the misuse of groundwater. We need to move to a situation where groundwater can be treated as a common property resource.”

Sustainable and rational management of water resources is a challenge that will engage the policymakers in the 12th Plan, Dr. Singh said, inaugurating the India Water Week on the theme of “Water, Energy and Food Security — Call for Solutions.”

Broad legal framework

Mindful of water being on the concurrent list, the Prime Minister called for a “broad overarching national legal framework of general principles to pave the way for essential legislation on water governance in each State.”

A major problem in better management of water resources were the weak institutional and legal structures related to water. Given the limitations on enhancing supply, a large part of the effort to close the supply-demand gap would be to focus on water use efficiency. “This is particularly critical in the agriculture sector, which utilises three-fourths of our water resources and where the water-use efficiency is low compared to international standards,” he said.

Expressing serious concern at the declining water table, Dr. Singh observed that groundwater sources of drinking water often failed due to competition over the same aquifer between public drinking water systems and private irrigation.

Falling back upon the ancient technique of building sound water harvesting structures, he called for collective and cooperative solutions to “recycle, reuse and recharge” water.

More than 1,000 delegates, including 43 from abroad, are participating in the event organised by the National Water Development Agency. Amongst the participants is Afghan Water Resources Minister Mohammad Ismail, who sought, during the plenary session, “more assistance” for integrated development of water resources in his country.

The Hindu, 11 April, 2012, http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article3301845.ece


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close