Union Jal Shakti Minister inaugurates 5th India Water Impact Summit (IWIS) with focus on Arth Ganga-River conservation synchronized development

The 5^th India Water Impact Summit (IWIS), organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga and Center for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga)began today with the theme of comprehensive analysis and holistic management of local rivers and water bodies with focus on Arth Ganga – river conservation synchronised development.

The summit was inaugurated by the Jal Shakti Minister, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. He said that NamamiGange is one of the largest, holistic and successful river conservation programs in the country which is laying down a model framework for river rejuvenation. The decisions in this program are based on studying the unsatisfactory results of previous programs. Sharing his Government’s vision to establish an eco-system where economic development goes hand-in-hand with ecological conservation, he said, “This summit is aimed at discussing and disseminating the needs for the modalities of embracing Arth Ganga and the vision ofthe Prime Minister in sectors that closely interweave with river conservation.” Speaking about knowledge transfer and experience sharing between countries he said, “The 5^th IWIS will forge greater interaction between investors and stakeholders in the water sector and promote international cooperation between India and many foreign countries for water and river management.”

MOS, Ministry of Jal Shakti , Shri Ratan Lal Kataria stressed that the Government is working towards sustainable development. “This can be seen from the fact that all the sewage treatment projects have been developed by keeping future capacity in mind,” he said.

Emphasizing the need for water use efficiency Shri. U. P. Singh, Secretary, Jal Shakti Ministry, said “There is huge scope of water conservation both at the demand side and supply side management and is.required to rejuvenate the river.” He proposed “5 Rs” for waste water management which are recycle, reuse, reduce, recharge (ground water) and respect for water.

Acknowledging the contribution of IITs in shaping and modelling theNamamiGange program, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General, NMCG said, “As part of Gyan Ganga initiative, we are engaging with scientists and researchers at the national and international level, to gain from their knowledge and experience.” He shared that the Summit will try to discuss and address issues of Agriculture, Human Habitation, both urban and rural, on banks of rivers, Tourism, Energy and Flood Management. Prof. Vinod Tare, IIT Kanpur expressing their intentions to work towards implementation of the Prime Minister’s vision of Arth Ganga on the ground said, “River conservation itself is an economic activity giving employment to many and is contributing to the GDP.” He added that Ganga represents all rivers and water. Hence, learnings from Ganga rejuvenation would help in management of other rivers and water bodies also.

The summitIWIS which is organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga and Center for Ganga River Basin Management and Studieswill continue till 15^th December and will bring together various stakeholders to discuss, debate and develop model solutions to some of the biggest water related issues in the country.