India Inks MoU With European Union On Water Co-operation At WSDS
India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with European Commission for water resources development and management. The agreement was inked after the approval was given by the Union Cabinet for the MoU to be signed under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.
Uma Bharti, Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation signed the MoU with HE Karmenu Vella, Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission, during the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) in Delhi.
The MoU envisages strengthening technological, scientific and management capabilities of both parties with technical exchange on water issues, including integrated water resource management plans within river basins and through study visits.
It envisions a more sustainable management of water resources in India with an objective of tackling the challenges posed by water management in the context of growing population, competing water demands and a changing climate. A Joint Working Group shall be formed to monitor the activities to be carried out in fulfilment of the MoU.
The India-EU agreement was signed at WSDS the flagship conference of The Energy & Resources Institute (TERI) since 2001. It is a global forum that seeks to provide long-term solutions to protect this planet.
“I hope this partnership will provide a platform that will help facilitate the exchange of knowledge, experience and expertise to provide solutions to the challenges in the water sector,” commented Bharti.
Keeping in view the success of the European Union in distribution of water resources, water pricing, water use efficiency by encouraging the changes in agricultural practices necessary to protect water resources and quality, such as switching to less water-demanding crops, etc., it has been decided to have an agreement with Israel to benefit from their experience and expertise. The EU States have adopted water pricing policies to provide adequate incentives for users to use water resources efficiently thereby contributing to environmental objectives.
Vella from European Commission, said, “Water is life. Water is being threatened by climate change, pollution, increasing demand and a huge amount of wastage. This is a global issue and requires global solutions and global action. This MoU is one way of implementing the EU India Water partnership through exchange of technological, scientific and management experience. This will help both EU and India contribute jointly to our SDGs. This MoU will not solve all the issues but it will be a very good step in the right direction.”
Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General, TERI, emphasised on governments and their institutions assuming larger roles in nurturing local water resources. He said, “India is a water-stressed nation; and limited development of surface water sources has led to a huge pressure on India’s groundwater resources.” TERI hosted the signing of the India- EU collaboration MoU.
The summit themed ‘Beyond 2015: People, Planet & Progress’ was inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee. Held annually, WSDS witnesses participation of global stakeholders—multilateral and bilateral development organisations, governments, corporate sector, non-governmental organisation and academic and research institutions.
It was attended by political figures like Pawan Kumar Chamling- Sikkim’s CM, Jayant Sinha- Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Uma Bharti. Experts from different fields of corporate, social and government from India and other countries also attended the summit. It aimed to create a common platform for countries to identify opportunities for consensus and collaboration to balance the realities of ecosystem preservation with aspirations for holistic economic development.
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