Scarcity of water has reached to the point of crisis which can be managed effectively by- cooperation among different users of water, using technology, water harvesting techniques and a law on land water use. The above suggestions were made by experts and other participants in a national seminar organised by the Institutions of Engineers India (IEI) on May 12 in Ranchi.
Expressing concern over fast receding level of ground water in Ranchi, Advisor to Governor Madhukar Gupta said government will do everything to address the problem. The ongoing efforts are nothing but crisis management said Gupta and that the situation can only be remedied through better planning, management and co-operation among the stake holders.
The government’s future plans to manage water scarcity and thus to prevent it from becoming a crisis includes implementing water management projects at Panchayat level in Jharkhand. The exercise will help in assessing viability of different water management models in rural Jharkhand. The Suwarnrekha project and various check dams in Jharkhand are based on the successful water management models implemented in Gujrat.
Significantly, to address water scarcity in rural areas of Jharkhand a micro-water harvesting plant will be installed in around 250 Panchayat by Jharwater in Jharkhand. Principal Secretary Water Resources department, S.K.Satpathy said, “Jharwater is seeking help from Ratan Tata Trust and other private agencies for several projects in the State.”
Unabated drilling and absence of any law to control the practice have only exacerbated water problems in Ranchi. Although, the Ranchi Municipal Corporation has stepped in to control the mindless drilling activities in the city, it cannot undermine the need for a law to curb the practice.
“People start drilling wherever they want and they can go to any depth to extract water,” said Satpathy adding “there should be a law to address the problem but politicians have always stonewalled any efforts made to enact such a law.”
Incidentally, the IEI through a workshop in September 2012 had conveyed to the government that scarcity on the domestic front can be dealt with effectively by diverting a limited quantity of irrigation water for household use which will benefit entire population living along the canals. Eight months have lapsed since then and government is yet to take a decision on that proposal, said Shivanand Roy, Superintending Engineer of Water Resources department.
Meanwhile, the interlinking of South Koel and Suwarnrekha rivers which holds answer to Ranchi’s water crisis has not seen any progress till date. The Jharkhand government had told the NWDA (National Water Development Agency) in 2008 that it had three link proposals
in the State — Sank to South Koel, South Koel to Subarnarekha and Damodar Barket links. “No DPR has been made on the dream project,” said Roy.
Earlier, Secretary Water Resources Department, Government of Gujrat, S.J.Desai said, “use of water is growing exponentially,” and that the shifting food habit impacts water consumption which often is reflected by the use of water by industries.