In the welcome address Mr. Chirag Patel, President GICEA, Ahmedabad, set the overall focus on the issues to be discussed in the conference. He welcomed all speakers and guests.
Dr. Thatte, Mr. Jaynarayan Vyas, Mr. Leheri, Mr. V.B.Patel and Dr. Kane in their speech emphasised on water scarcity affecting various regions of the world in general and Gujarat in particular. They stated that without a significant reversal of economic and social trends, it will become more acute over time. Although water is considered a renewable resource but in many parts of the world water resources have depleted or contaminated and it has become difficult to meet ever-increasing demand.
Speakers like Mr. Ravi Solanki, Mr. Hingrajiya, Dr. Indira Hirway and Dr. Mukesh Joshi discussed various issues relating to agricultural sector and other water using sectors. Some have emphasised on problems faced by agricultural sector like inadequate water supply, low water prices, inadequate extension services provided to farmers. However other scholars have pointed out problems faced in drinking water sector like prioritised water supply, lack of R&R work, low recovery and low water charges and increase in urbanization. Moreover it was stated that in both these sectors supply management options were emphasised. Other issues like gender, water quality problems, water logging, salinity, groundwater extraction, salinity ingress, inadequate surface water were also discussed. Mr. Harnath Jagawat affirmed inadequate availability of water in tribal areas. Each of the speakers have opined that growing water scarcity in response to rapid domestic and industrial water demand growth have worsened by severe constraints on the water supply. These constraints can be caused, first, by source limits-meaning absolute constraints on water supply-in some dry and highly developed regions and second by economic constraints that slow the growth of new water supply infrastructure including dams and water distribution systems. These economic constraints are the result of the high financial, social, and environmental costs of dams, irrigation infrastructure, and domestic and industrial water supply. The sum total of these constraints results in wastage of water resources and power.
To combat these problems of water scarcity, various options to manage demand and supply of water have been discussed by scholars. Basin transfer (Water from Narmada reservoir is transferred to Sabarmati, Mahi reservoir) was discussed by Dr. Tushaar Shah, Dr. Thatte and Mr. Jaynarayan Vyas, Kalpasar was elaborately discussed by Dr. Kane. Mr. V.B.Patel Dr. Thatte and Mr. Dhimant Patel believed that large scale dams and small storage structures (Check dams, farm ponds, bunds and so on) should be built keeping in view regional specificity and its requirements. Dr. Yagnik, Mr. Srinivas, Mr. Raju Deepti have stated option like rain water harvesting structures, roof water harvesting structures, other artificial recharge structures, drip and sprinkler sets, water treatment and recycling. Besides these supply management options, various speakers discussed about demand management options. Dr. Parthasarathy talked about Irrigation Management Transfer, Public Private Partnership, Build-operate-transfer (BOT). Dr. Phansalkar stated the importance of Dairy cooperatives in managing water. Mr. Biplab Paul discussed about role of women in water management. Mr. Prejibhai Patel briefly described how efforts of villagers helped in water conservation.
Nevertheless speakers opined that no single option is adequate and there is a need for complementarity between various demand management options and supply management options. At the end of the discussion it was felt that there are various stakeholders in water management. These are farmers and people using water for drinking purposes, private parties, NGOs, Government and academicians. Each of these groups exert pressure on policy level decisions relating to water distribution and management. It was felt that improving water efficiency allows countries to reduce water scarcity and maximize the benefits provided by existing water infrastructure. It also frees up water for other uses and reduces environmental degradation.
Some of the practical solutions and approaches to improve water efficiency were discussed. In practice, water efficiency can be improved using many approaches, including investing in physical improvements in infrastructure and technology, fostering changes in user behavior, and developing integrated improvements in water management. V.B.Patel Dr. Thatte and Mr. Dhimant believed that one way of improving water efficiency is by investing in improving infrastructure. However, they believed that any investment made must take into account a variety of factors, including a land, labor and capital endowments, and its ability to maintain the infrastructure. Importantly, investment costs should never outweigh the benefits obtained. Dr. Parthasarathy, Dr. Phansalkar, Mr. Biplab Paul, Dr. Yagnik, Mr. Srinivas, Mr. Raju Deepti believed that physical improvements are only part of the answer; maximum gains in efficiency are only made when they are combined with better management practices. Mr. Dhimant Vyas stated that losses as a result of leaks and evaporation can be reduced by lining irrigation canals and fixing leaks in urban water-supply systems. Regular maintenance of infrastructure also helps to maintain water efficiency levels and is more cost-effective than rehabilitation. Dr. Sherasiya believed that enabling water users and managers to better match supply to demand is critically important when working to ensure that the type and quality of service provided fits the needs of users and their willingness and ability to pay (product-choice efficiency). Mr. Jaynarayan Vyas had stated that better land-management practices is important to reduce the rate at which siltation reduces water storage in downstream infrastructure
Various speakers like Dr. Hirway, Dr. Joshi have emphasised on economic, social change and regulatory instruments which can be used to encourage domestic, industrial and agricultural users to use water more efficiently. Some of the options suggested are :
- Charging for water which is believed to affect people's behavior and so promote conservation and efficient water usage.
- Water markets which is aimed to improve efficiency of water use by creating incentives for farmers and/or industries to save water and sell off their rights to the portions they do not use.
- Taxes can be applied directly to water used by volume, and could also potentially be applied to products involving highly water consumptive or water polluting processes.
- Subsidies to domestic and agriculture water supply, while commonplace, often do not benefit those most in need. However, given that water use has a public good nature and that externalities are pervasive, removing subsidies may not always be appropriate.
- Social change instruments aim to teach individuals and organizations how to change their behavior and stop wasting water. Water-efficient public behavior can be promoted through such instruments as public information campaigns to inculcate a shared vision of a prosperous and environmentally sustainable future.
- Regulatory instruments work by directly imposing rules and limits governing water use-unlike economic instruments, which attempt to influence user behaviour indirectly by creating an economic environment in which improving efficiency is in the economic interests of the user. Standards, limits and guidelines can be used to control the quantity of water withdrawn by users from natural water systems over set time periods.
Key Lessons
Various scholars felt the need for taking an Integrated Water Resource Management approach to water efficiency which requires an integrated set of measures to improve efficiency that are selected strategically in terms of a overall development goals. At the end of the conference various options emerged that would assist policy makers and practitioners charged with evaluating options and preparing strategies to start moving towards more water efficient solutions. Some of the points that emerged from the discussions were
- Link water efficiency strategy to sustainable development goals.
- explore opportunities to improve water efficiency that lie outside the water sector such as land management.
- take into account social and political realities that may make some options infeasible
without taking other steps first.
- capture the full benefits of improved water productivity at local levels by integrating
these with system- and basin-level changes.
- consider "non-traditional" opportunities to improve efficiency such as conjunctive
use of groundwater and surface water or increasing the safe use of wastewater.
Courtesy -
Ms. Jharna Pathak
Associate Faculty
Gujarat Institute of Development Research - GIDR
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