Reflection 1 on Our Right to Water by Madhuresh Kumar and Mark Furlong Key Issues addressed in the article This

article emphasizes on few key aspects of the subject of water management. They are the acceptance of water as a right rather than a need, the issue of unregulated growth in India which has created need for more energy, the undesirable byproducts of growth in the form of exploitation of water resources, Governments negligence in considering the livelihood, social, ecological aspects in energy project approvals, the pros and cons of Public Private Partnerships in water management, importance of demand side of water in addition to supply side , the benefits of having a community driven water management system, the gross insufficiency of the National Water Policy and the corrective plan of Action to overcome the water crisis which is hovering on India. Reflections First of all the water is not just a need but a right as it is fundamental to survival and bare minimum living. So every individual irrespective of class must have access to minimum amount of clean water required to sustain a healthy living. Also the need for water must be mentioned in a different context when we talk of rural and urban usage. In rural areas water serves more than the basic needs; it also a source of livelihood for the people. Any development which makes a water body inaccessible for economic use can play havoc with the life of such people (adivasis and farmers). Even though international organizations like UN have recognized right to water as a fundamental human right and India has been a party to such resolutions, we have failed to enact any law which will bring accountability in ensuring that the need for water is addressed. Indian courts have recognized right to water as being equivalent to right to life but this has not led to substantial changes in the way the administrative system is functioning. Supporting the argument that there is a lack of accountability in this regard is that the supply problem of water has never been a part of any 5 year plan. The current union policy on water management is called the National Water Policy which came into effect in 2012.However the policy falls short of expectations in many regards.

Reflection 1 on Our Right to Water by Madhuresh Kumar and Mark Furlong According to current usage pattern 80 percent of water is used for irrigation and 20 percent is shared between domestic, energy and industrial sector. With increasing population and industries to support it, by 2025 the usage of water is expected to reach very close to the maximum utilizable limit and this will further strain the water resources. With increasing no thermal power plants, chemical industries pollution of ground and surface water has worsened. The economic model of focusing on high economic growth which is urban centric has led to unplanned infrastructure growth and rigorous utilization of natural resources. Unfortunately much of the growth has come at the cost of rural India. The integrated India energy Policy stipulates that India will have to increase its energy supply manifold to sustain a 8% growth over next 25 years. This has led to sanction of huge number of thermal power plants most of which are owned by private sector. According to an estimate, the number of power plants which are in the pipeline are six times the current installed capacity and when operational will take the production to three times the projected need. Another issue is that the power plants geographically concentrated which compounds the problems of water shortage and pollution. And according to the integrated Energy Policy 150000 MW of electricity are to be generated by Hydro Electric Plants. The assumption behind the Hydro Plans is that it will serve the irrigation, power generation and flood control issues. However as has been seen with many large Hydro projects that the power generated is diverted for industrial purposes. Hydro-electricity may be thought of as a clean source of energy but hydro projects lead to loss of bio diversity and also contribute to global warming as it releases CO2, methane and nitrous oxide in the air. Thermal Power Plants need huge amount of water and are already facing a shortage in many areas. This has led to struggle for access to water, For example there was a large protest by farmers in Hirakud Dam against allocation of water for industries when even their irrigation needs are not met. The construction of large thermal power plants and dams may have adverse impact on the environment and livelihood and cause social unrest and conflict in India. The situation is worse in some states like Maharashtra where the farmer suicide rates have increased alarmingly due to shortage of irrigation water. In such a scenario setting of more power plants will only increase the stress on other community needs of water. All the above issues show that the National Water Policy and the Integrated Energy Policy are not complementary and have not taken into consideration the interlinks between water and energy.

Reflection 1 on Our Right to Water by Madhuresh Kumar and Mark Furlong Indian civilization has developed ways of managing water hundreds of years back. Community maintained sustainable storage and conveyance systems, adapted to local needs and social structure is one lesson we should learn from them. The mantra is to learn from past experience combine scientific knowledge to develop water systems that adopt to local ecology and can be distributed equitably and sustainably. Another aspect of the Water crisis is that the problem is not only supply side but also the demand side. Due to rapid development and accelerated consumerism, the need for water has increased. To support this growth the government is trying to bend the water system around the development model whereas it should be the other way round. This type of consumerist growth can threaten our right to water and sanitation as demand outstrips supply. The current National Water Policy faces some important shortcomings. It does not recognize water and sanitation as a right rather than only a need. It calls for pricing water supply to recover the costs incurred with a private sector mechanism in place. It suggests that the state should be a regulator instead of a service provider. But this goes against the right of minimum water and sanitation to every individual irrespective of economic power. The biggest problem with privatization is the question of equity and access as poor and working class may not be able to pay water charges. The report also helps understand some ways to tackle the Water Crisis. Firstly, State Water Plans Must implement decentralized community controlled water system that care for the local ecological balance instead of privatizing the process. The right to water and sanitation must be recognized as a law by way of legislation so that there is accountability in the process of growth. The National Water Policy has to be tweaked and made progressive by emphasizing on engineering solutions to address supply issues and mainstreaming community based solutions. Ecology and social justice must be the overarching perspective in policy formation with respect to water, energy and industry. No more large thermal power projects should be approved and ecologically threatening projects should be put on hold before further scrutiny. There is a need for holistic planning between different ministries at both the central and state level when taking decisions on infrastructure and industrial growth. Finally the realization that, water is fundamental human rights which cannot be held hostage for profit motive, has to be embedded in all policy decisions.