Centre launches summit to address water problems

MUMBAI: The Ministry of Water Resources has decided to launch a week-long series of sessions to highlight the role of water in all areas of life. India Water Week 2012 ,that will take place in Delhi in April, will be the first of many to follow annually. The details were announced on Wednesday.
The Centre will celebrate India Water Week annually to provide a base for national as well as international dialogues and deliberations for policy-makers.It will also concentrate on technical and socio-economic areas to generate innovative ideas and recognize significant works by the organizers and individuals. The main theme for this year's event is 'Water, Energy and Food Security: Call For Solutions'. The National Water Development Agency, New Delhi, along with the Cultural Board of Irrigation and Power, New Delhi will host the event.
India Water Week, which will be held April 10 - April 14.
The delegates will discuss the challenges facing the water, energy, agriculture and food industries due to the growing population. "Around 700 million people in over 43 countries live without water. Water is a luxury to them. It has also been estimated that by 2025, 1.8 billion people will live in regions with absolute water scarcity and two-thirds of the world's population could be living under water-stressed conditions," said E B Patil, principal secretary, water resources department, Maharashtra government.
There will be seminars, conferences, exhibitions and study tours as part of the event. The conferences will be organized at Vigyan Bhavan, while the exhibition -a key feature of the event-will be held at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
Officials said that state level agencies, contractors, manufacturers, firms have been invited to showcase all their services.
(This young editor was accompanied by Sukhada Tatke)