The world water week is here

This year’s theme is water and energy, especially significant for India which has set itself ambitious targets for growth and accessibility in both the sectors and where huge investments are planned.

This Aug. 7, 2014 file photo shows people walking along the Monteliusvagen path on the cliffs over the northern shore of the Sodermalm district in Stockholm. (AP Photo/Per Gustavsson, File)

This beautiful city in Europe has perhaps the best waterscape. Land and water blend in harmony and the city has ensured that pollution has been eliminated so completely that waters are safe to swim. Since 1991 the city of Stockholm, Sweden has been host to an annual conference called the World Water Week organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). This is a gathering of governments, institutions and individuals working on the subject theme of water.

This year the theme around which the workshop will occur from August 31 to September 6 is Water and Energy.

This is especially significant for India, which has set itself ambitious targets for growth and accessibility in both the sectors and where huge investments are under way or are planned.

The 12 Plan document posits the generation of almost 120,000 MW of energy during the Plan phase and another 110,000 MW in the 13 Plan.

Indian problem Another particular Indian problem is the huge dependency on groundwater, with 66 per cent of all water demand being met through groundwater pumping from deep borewells. Consider the rolling power cuts state across state, when the rains fail and the borewells kick in, in large numbers soaking up supply and causing pressure on the grid with which most of India is familiar with. As said in a report prepared for the theme this year it takes enormous energy to pump, store , convey and distribute water and it takes enormous use water to generate energy. Bangalore should know. The city pumps water from a distance of nearly 100 kilometres and 300 metre up, every drop we drink. This and its distribution all across the city require almost 2 units of energy for every kilo-litre delivered to every household. Is there, however, a propensity for each sector to work in silos? Is there a need for closer coordination to ensure better planning? The answer is most certainly ‘yes.’

Water audit helps

At smaller urban units too, from individual homes to apartments, many green buildings have shown that not only is water saved is equal to energy saved, but by a water audit even the cost of energy per kilo-litre of water used can come down. Many of us fail to realise that we pay for our water more through our energy bills than for the water itself.

The World Water Week will also award the World Water Prize during the event at the famous Blue Room where the Nobel prizes are given in a grand ceremony. This year’s winner is John Briscoe from South Africa. He served as a Senior Water Adviser for the World Bank in New Delhi. Among the previous winners from India have been Dr. Madhavrao Chitale, Sunita Narain and Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak.

The World Water Week will therefore be of great importance from the Indian perspective and hopefully there will be a good participation from Indian academics, policy wonks and government functionaries.