In a bid to chalk out a national plan, within a tentative deadline of March 31, 2015, for reducing annual carbon emissions by 2020, the Environment Ministers of India and Germany discussed various challenges and solutions related to water and waste management, resource efficiency and sustainable development on Wednesday.
Addressing the two-day Indo German Environment Forum Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar and his German counterpart Barbara Hendricks, stressed on the availability of clean water resources for common man. Hendricks exhorted the efforts of cleaning up Ganga River by the Government in this regard. She recalled of the high-level pollution of the rivers in West Germany way back in the 60’s when there was no fish in it.
Javadekar informed that the new Government aimed at achieving energy efficiency and water use efficiency by 2020. He pointed out that conservation management, optimum utilisation of water is one of the biggest challenges being faced by the mankind. National water mission aims at conservation of water, minimising wastage and ensuring more equitable distribution mainly through increasing water use efficiency at least by 20 per cent, he said.
He also complimented rag pickers for playing a very important role in waste management.Hendricks added that Germany has 40 years of experience in building modern waste management systems.She stressed that German cooperation with India can be very relevant for further development of the latter. “Germany has a lot of expertise in other fields too as renewable energies, water management etc., for sustainable development. Germany is eager to share this expertise with India so as to enable all Indians to enjoy the benefits of economic development in a liveable, healthy environment,” she said.