Jal Manthan-III, organised by Ministry of Water Resources, is set to kick off from Friday, to brainstorm new ideas and find solutions to various issues of water. The event assumes significance, especially at the face of growing interstate water disputes in the country. It is expected to be attended by over 700 participants.
Water dispute between states has been a perpetual source of concern for the Ministry with the most recent on the issue of Cauvery water sharing between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka is pending in Supreme Court. Further, trouble is also brewing between Pakistan and India over the sharing of Indus water dispute. Such conferences involving so many experts, bureaucrats, ministers and other stakeholders, discuss the issues threadbare for a more feasible solution, said the sources.
The daylong event will largely focus on Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), River Basin Management, River Rejuvenation and Ecology, Flood management, Water use efficiency and Participatory irrigation management. The focus will also be on making the policies of the Ministry more people friendly besides making them more responsive by the States.
The list of participants includes Union Ministers of related Ministries and Departments besides Chief Ministers of certain States and Union Territories. Officials from Irrigation, Water Resources Ministers of States, UTs besides experts in water sector, representatives of NGOs and s other enior officers of the Central and State Governments will be present. The conference follows the Water Resource Minister Uma Bharati's statement on the necessity to hold wider consultations amongst various stakeholders engaged in water resource development and management to achieve synergy of water resource development with environment, wild-life and various social and cultural practices. The earlier Jal Manthan Programmes were held in November, 2014 and February, 2016.