Renowned conservationist Rajendra Singh, popularly known as Water Man of India – has said that community-driven water management or decentralised management of resources is the only solution to resolve water woes.
Interacting with media persons here on Tuesday, Mr. Singh said this can be achieved through conservation initiatives like rainwater harvesting, facilitating recharging of ground water, besides rejuvenation of local water bodies. He was responding to a question on the ongoing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the sharing of the Cauvery water.
Mr. Singh pointed out that in an arid and dry region like Rajasthan, which gets poor rains, he was able to rejuvenate 11,600 water bodies. "There is no reason why Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, which receive such heavy rains compared to Rajasthan, cannot do it."
In the context of the current dispute between the two riparian States, he said the judiciary, though he had the highest respect for it, could not resolve the water dispute. He opined that it was for the Parliament to take up the initiative. "However, the Parliament has not discussed the Cauvery or other water disputes even once in the last few years. The Parliament should act as a bridge to bring the parties in dispute together and thrash out a solution," he said.
One of the factors accentuating the conflict situation on water issues was that people saw it as a mere resource to augment their prosperity, while nobody took interest to rejuvenate the river and thereby its health so that it could benefit all, said Mr. Singh. He also stressed the need for a relook into the cropping pattern based on the local availability of water besides enhancing the efficiency of water usage.
Expressing his opposition to the interlinking of rivers so that surplus water from one region could be transferred to water deficit areas elsewhere, he said that this would only transfer pollution and warned that the project would spell unmitigated environmental disaster for the country. "What is required is the linking of the minds."
Mr. Singh opposed nationalisation of rivers and said unlike the nationalisation of banks which benefitted the public, nationalisation of rivers will only benefit the multi-national companies who will channelize the resources for business and pave way for privatisation of water resources.
President of Sugarcane Cultivators' Association Kurubur Shanthakumar and others were present.
