India

Statement
by
Dr. Prodipto Ghosh
Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests
on
"Water Issues"
at the
Twelfth Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development
New York
April 29, 2004
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INDIA
IqFa
Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations
235 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017 ? Tel : [phone] ? Fax : [phone]
E-Mail : india@un .in t
Mr. Chairman,
We have heard with interest the various views that have been
expressed on the subject under discussion i .e . Water. This being a
review year we must be clear about our task here, which is to identify
the constraints and obstacles to the realization of the Agenda 21 and
JPOI goals i .e ., halving the number of people without access to
drinking water by 2015 .
India is aware of the emerging challenges in the field of water
resources . To address these, the National Water Policy of 1987 was
revised and updated in 2002 to encourage participation by all
stakeholders and give due weightage to ecological concerns . India
has taken reforms initiatives in water resources aimed at greater
involvement of users in cost sharing as also in operation and
maintenance . Private sector participation is also encouraged,
wherever feasible. People's participation and involvement at every
stage, ensuring appropriate role for women ; a move from top down to
demand driven ; cost sharing ; a holistic approach and flexibility, are
some of the characteristics that mark the recent initiatives in the
water sector. Legislation has been enacted to facilitate a participatory
approach . More than 41,00 Water User Associations (WUAs) have
already been formed . We have initiated the rationalization of water
rates for various uses to cover operation and maintenance charges .
Our experience of over five decades has led to the recognition
that we need to build on the multiple approaches that we have, to find
a range of solutions that take into account the diversity of our country .
There is also recognition of the roles of multiple stakeholders in
handling such complex tasks .
We have clearly articulated norms with regard to drinking water
coverage and we are well on our way to meeting the national targets,
which are in advance of the JPOI goals, for provision for drinking
water in both rural and urban areas . As per National Norms for
drinking water, 100% rural population will be covered by March 2005
and 100% urban population will be covered by 2007 .
Quality of water is an area of concern . Surface water, and to
some extent, even ground water, are being affected by industrial
pollution, urban sewage and agricultural run-off. A number of
legislative steps have been taken, and institutional mechanisms put in
place to ensure acceptable quality of water . In regard to this and
other issues related to water, sanitation, and other aspects of JPOI,
we consider that technology transfer poses the greatest challenge in
achieving our goals .
We recognize that projects must be financially viable; however
the provision of safe drinking water to our citizens cannot be
conditional upon their ability to pay . At the same time, we recognize
that subsides on water rates to the disadvantaged and poorer
sections of society should be well-targeted and transparent .
Irrigation is the main use of water in India and therefore often
remains the focal issue in water resources development and
management . Providing, irrigation facilities to small and marginal
farmers is central to raising their standards of living . The thrust
towards rapid development and efficient management of irrigation,
which may involve components of hydropower, should be viewed in
relation to its role in poverty alleviation .
The JPOI has provided the framework for the approach to
integrated water resources management . In India several steps have
been taken in a holistic approach, including afforestation, water
conservation practices, watershed development, groundwater
recharge, reviving traditional harvesting and conservation practices,
etc . to meet the competing demands . In our view, a lot still needs to
be done at the national level by countries themselves . In the context
of management of trans-boundary waters, it has been our experience
that bilateral arrangements have worked well . Appropriate
arrangements are decided by . the countries concerned and it is for
these countries to approach an international agency for any specific
assistance, if required .
It is felt that the `ecosystem concept', which has been
mentioned by some delegations with regard to JPOI implementation,
is not internationally agreed upon and is still in the realm of expert
technical discussion . We believe that it should be left to national
governments for deciding which is the best approach to adopt,
keeping in view their national problems and challenges as well as
their national priorities .
Mr. Chairman :
Policy making for the water sector has multiple dimensions in
both the aspects of quantity and quality of water, which in turn are
inter-related . Water is the most critical of all natural resources, and
impacts health, pattern of settlements, agriculture, industry, power,
fisheries and many other sectors . Major infrastructural investments
relate to or are impacted by water policies . For these reasons, in
India, we have found it inadvisable to locate all operational and policy
making responsibilities for water in a single agency. I believe this
consideration is important when we consider the role of the UN
agencies and programmes in the realm of water issues . There is
need for co-ordination mechanisms, but the question of institutional
structures for water resources policy is a complex one . We believe
that it would be better to hasten slowly in our multilateral effort in this
regard, and revisit this issue once we have comprehensively
addressed the main questions of financial resources and technology
-transfer.
Thank you Mr. Chairman .