IDFC study calls for urgent steps to conserve water
PTI | 08:12 PM,Dec 19,2011Mumbai, Dec 19 (PTI) With rapid industrialisation and rising population, there is a need to focus on reusing, recycling and conserving water, a study by Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) said. IDFC's infrastructure report titled 'Water policy and performance for sustainable development' mentions that unchecked growth in demand for water, large variations and inequities in availability across regions and consumer groups coupled with the effects of climate change, are all likely to exacerbate conflicts over water in future. "With a billion people around the world without access to clean drinking water and nearly three quarters of Indians already living in water-stressed regions, water scarcity is a major issue today," the report said. The report emphasised on the need for an immediate and appropriate policy framework from the perspective of rights, ecological justice, and demand management. "We need a paradigm shift in making our water consumption practices more efficient by focusing on reusing, recycling, and conserving our limited resources," IDFC managing director and chief executive Rajiv Lall said in a release issued here today. He said appropriate valuation and pricing of water is an important instrument to achieve this and urgent action is required for a new water policy based on ensuring ecological balance, equity and harnessing all the resources. "We need a radically new approach to addressing competing claims between farmer groups, industries and communities, and rural and urban India along with an institutional mechanism for resolving these in a transparent and effective manner," IDFC Group Head Policy and Chief Economist Ritu Anand said. PTI PSK BEN ABC
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