Central Water Commission (CWC), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation today organized a day-long seminar on “Environment Issues in Water Resources Projects” at New Delhi. The seminar was organized at a time when concerns over issues of sustainable development are being raised from several quarters.
Inaugurating the seminar, Shri U.P. Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation said,“While the pendulum should not swing completely in the direction opposite to development, we can no longer ignore the ecological management. Better management of water resources should be done keeping in mind the ecological concerns and the impacts of the development projects must be studied properly.”
A kind of split has taken place between development and environment. There is no doubt that environmental issues today are one of the most important concerns not just in water sector but others too as manifests in climate change. Its importance cannot be overemphasized.
The challenge in the water resources sector is to balance the need for development and environment concerns while ensuring sustainability.
During the day-long seminar, the adverse effects of developmental projects in water sector such as displacement of people, submergence of forest and agricultural land, disturbance to biodiversity, flora & fauna , wildlife and e-flow of rivers were raised by several speakers.
The need to safeguard against such ill-effects and minimize them through proper Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) plans, Environment Management Plans, Forest Protection Plans were suggested by Experts.
The time has come to think holistically and develop a synchronized mechanism to avoid delays and ensure a healthy environment.
Reference- PIB Release edited by Clean-Future Team