Water resource management: new approach vital

Several parts of India are currently in the grip of a severe drought, with widespread misery for several millions of people in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Orissa. The country has also been experiencing record temperatures, hardly ever experienced in the month of April. President Clinton during his visit to India made it a point to remind us that the six hottest years in recorded history throughout the world occurred during the 1990s. This decade has already started with record temperatures in India, and it may not be incorrect to state that this is the evidence of climate change, which of course, has far more serious implications than mere change in temperature. But the growing scarcity of water and increase in salinity particularly in coastal areas is not only the result of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases but also a function of poor management of water in this country. Several initiatives are required to meet the threat in the long term, for which action has to start immediately. First, pricing of water has to be rationalized, so that this life-giving resource is not treated as a free good. Second, local bodies and communities need to be empowered adequately for managing water resources in their vicinity. Finally, the provision of canals and aqueducts by themselves will not solve the problem, but would require proper maintenance of infrastructure. The record of performance of dams and canal systems in the country has been less than glorious, and typically interest generally gets dissipated once construction is over and the more challenging tasks of maintenance and upkeep begin. All in all, a totally new approach to water resource management is required, which merits vigorous debate and analysis far beyond the emergency measures that are being taken currently. These, of course, have to be managed effectively to relieve millions of people in the current crisis, but there is a bigger crisis ahead unless we take effective action in solving our long-term problems.