Kolkata: In an attempt to reduce loss and damage caused by floods, the West Bengal Government will soon install “early warning system” in all floods-prone districts including Darjeeling, Malda, Murshidabad, Hooghly, East and West Midnapore.
This was disclosed by Mr Rajib Banerjee, Minister for Irrigation & Waterways, West Bengal, at the Inaugural Session of the two-day Water Exposition 2013 organised by CII Eastern Region in Kolkata today.
According to the Minister, this World Bank-funded project is awaiting clearance from the Central Water Commission (CWC). “The World Bank is okay with it. All we are waiting for is green light from CWC,” said Mr Banerjee.
The Minister also held a meeting along with senior officials of the department with
Mr Ashwin Pandiya, Chairman, Central Water Commission, to discuss “some pending subjects” including some upcoming water storage structures.
Mr Ashwin Pandiya, who delivered the Keynote Address at the Exposition, sought to explain the enormity of the crisis of water. “It is no longer a simple fluid. Although India has reasonably sufficient amount of water, the distribution is still lop-sided,” he said.
Mr Pandiya called for national-level policies and strategies to enable the country brace for the challenges ahead. “Since water is a strategic resource, it can no longer be discussed in isolation. There must be political and societal unanimity so that water or the lack of it does not become a constraint in development. It is after all something that is lifeline for people and development,” Mr Pandiya added.
West Bengal’s Irrigation & Waterways Minister, Mr Rajib Banerjee, agreed. He said the State Government is taking proactive steps to make sure measures to distribute water for irrigation rationally. “We hope to get good results when harvesting happens some time later,” he added.
Earlier in his Welcome Address, Mr Umesh Chowdhury, Vice Chairman, CII West Bengal State Council, explained the context and objectives of the conference.
“Water Exposition is a platform for interaction and exchange of ideas on water use efficiency in industry and building amongst various stakeholders. It helps promote sustainable development and management of water resources in the region,” Mr Chowdhury said.
“West Bengal is highly water stressed. In fact, because of its geo-ecological fragility, the entire region is highly prone to the consequences of water stress. A large number of people, especially those living in far corners, walk miles to fetch safe water. Caused chiefly by industrial effluents, pollution of water sources, including vast stretches of rivers, is also posing huge environmental and health hazards,” he added.
Mr Dhiman Mukherjee, Principal Secretary, Irrigation and Waterways, West Bengal, Mr Anil Vaswani, Co-Chairman, Environment Task Force CII Eastern Region, and Director, Wesman Engineering Ltd, and Dr Saugat Mukherjee, Regional Director, were also present at the Inaugural Session.