Water issue linked to national security, can be weaponised: Droupadi Murmu | India News
NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday said the water issue is linked to national security as vast amount of available freshwater is spread between two or more countries and the matter can be weaponised by one country against others turning it into a source of international conflict.
Underlining this point without taking names of countries, Murmu, emphasised the need for having international cooperation to conserve and manage water resources. She said the issue of water is relevant not only for India but for the entire world.
She was delivering the inaugural speech at Water Week conference at Greater Noida. UP governor Anandiben Patel, CM Yogi Adityanath, Jal Shakti (water resources) minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and water experts from many countries attended the 7th edition of the annual five-day event on its inaugural day.
Referring to scarcity due to rising population and over-exploitation of the resources with agriculture operations alone consuming 80% of it, Murmu appealed to scientists, town planners and innovators to try to develop techniques that help conserve water resources.
“There will be a need to effectively conserve water to meet the demands of our future generation and technology will play an important role in it,” she said, noting that the present situation on water security is worrying. She also flagged how the condition of rivers and reservoirs is deteriorating and village ponds are drying up and many local rivers have become extinct due to environmental imbalance and changing weather patterns over the years.
Adityanath, while speaking about how Uttar Pradesh has been working for river rejuvenation, said, “In one part of the state, there are many rivers from the Himalayas which carry silt with them. There were no previous attempts to channelise them and to rejuvenate them, but now with our attempts, 60 rivers have been rejuvenated.”
Underlining this point without taking names of countries, Murmu, emphasised the need for having international cooperation to conserve and manage water resources. She said the issue of water is relevant not only for India but for the entire world.
She was delivering the inaugural speech at Water Week conference at Greater Noida. UP governor Anandiben Patel, CM Yogi Adityanath, Jal Shakti (water resources) minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and water experts from many countries attended the 7th edition of the annual five-day event on its inaugural day.
Referring to scarcity due to rising population and over-exploitation of the resources with agriculture operations alone consuming 80% of it, Murmu appealed to scientists, town planners and innovators to try to develop techniques that help conserve water resources.
“There will be a need to effectively conserve water to meet the demands of our future generation and technology will play an important role in it,” she said, noting that the present situation on water security is worrying. She also flagged how the condition of rivers and reservoirs is deteriorating and village ponds are drying up and many local rivers have become extinct due to environmental imbalance and changing weather patterns over the years.
Adityanath, while speaking about how Uttar Pradesh has been working for river rejuvenation, said, “In one part of the state, there are many rivers from the Himalayas which carry silt with them. There were no previous attempts to channelise them and to rejuvenate them, but now with our attempts, 60 rivers have been rejuvenated.”
