Climate change centre mooted

The Hindu , Friday, May 18, 2007
Correspondent : Staff Reporter
· Groundwater remains the main source of drinking water

· Call to make water conservation a fundamental duty

BANGALORE: Both natural and man-made causes have put Karnataka in a precarious situation as far as groundwater security is concerned, but the irony is that groundwater continues to remain the main source of drinking water, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council H.K. Patil has said.

Speaking at a workshop on "Water famine in Karnataka and solutions", organised by the Legislative Council and the Karnataka State Planning Board, Mr. Patil said nearly 79 per cent of the State's land area was hard rock terrain, with very little groundwater availability.

There were 51 taluks considered safe, while 102 taluks were semi-critical.

As many as 22 taluks were in the critical category where groundwater had been fully exploited and nine taluks where it had been overexploited, he said.

He proposed that a centre to study the impact of climate change be established to help farmers in drought-prone areas and protect the interests of the agriculture sector as well as conserve precious water resources.

It was time water conservation was made a fundamental duty by amending the Constitution suitably.

Legislative Council Chairman B.K. Chandrashekar said the impending water crisis was important enough to merit a day's discussion in the legislature.

Sounding a positive note on how to "postpone" the water crisis, he cited the experiment by the Horticulture Department and farmers in Kushtagi taluk of Koppal district.

Against all odds, the farmers had grown pomegranates in the arid zone, and exports had fetched Rs. 8.3 crore. People in Bangalore wasting water to clean their driveways while dry, water-scarce areas in north Karnataka did not have enough to drink was a reflection of the callousness of the public as well as policymakers, he said.

Minister for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation S.A. Ravindranath said it was time to stop regarding water as an infinite resource and begin making every community self-reliant in water supply and management.

`A global problem'

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly N. Dharam Singh said water scarcity was a global problem, and Karnataka, the second most arid State after Rajasthan, should prepare to fight the desertification creeping up on it.

Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Board A. Ravindra said that though 25 per cent of the Plan outlay went towards irrigation and water supply, there was no efficient management.

 
SOURCE : The Hindu, Friday, May 18, 2007
 


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