Intl. Workshop on Environmental Flows Assessment and Implementation for India

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : A two-day International workshop on Environmental Flows Assessment and Implementation for India was inaugurated by Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi on October 22, 2019. The exchange of Indian, European and International Experiences was brought together by National Mission of Clean Ganga (NMCG) along with the Indo-German Cooperation with its project “Support to Ganga Rejuvenation” (SGR).

Shekhawat also formally released the first version of the Guidance Document on Environment flow assessment in India. The deliberations at this workshop and further research work would help in coming up with advanced version of this e-flow guidance document in future.

It is already accepted around the globe that the demand for water is increasing due to population growth, rapid urbanisation and industrialisation and that rivers are a critical natural resource crucial for human well-being. The Ganga River, for example, supports a population of more than 400 million people by providing a multitude of domestic, agricultural, industrial, and power generation uses, and it also serves for recreational, livelihood and spiritual purposes.

The Ganga provides a unique ecosystem, which is home to India’s National Aquatic animal the Gangetic Dolphin, as well as Gharials, turtles and several birds and other wild animals.  Other rivers like Godavari, Krishna, Mahanadi etc. are also crucial ecosystems and sources for ecosystem services for us.

Given the current scenario, Shekhawat said, “We are committed to protect these lifelines for our future generations. We have the identified aim of Aviral and Nirmal Dhara – continuous and clean flows as our tribute to Mother Ganga and we intend to extend this to all other rivers in the country.”

“Maintaining Environmental Flows in rivers is very important not only for the country but worldwide since water has become a global challenge. We have to come together and act together to tackle this global challenge. Under the Namami Gange programme, we have been quite serious about maintaining the continuous flow of Ganga. Last year, we recognised the minimum river flow to be maintained and also notified. We have started monitoring for its implementation as well,” Shekhawat added, according to a PIB release.

We have made a beginning, but there’s a lot to learn from experiences of other countries where this has developed over a period of time,” said Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, DG, NMCG. The international workshop aims to assist in the e-flows implementation in India.

In India, the European Union through the India-EU Water Partnership (IEWP) as well as the Indo-German Cooperation with its project “Support to Ganga Rejuvenation” (SGR) has brought together stakeholders such as governmental institutions, businesses and the civil society, to promote cooperation in the water sector. Currently, a guidance document on the “Assessment of Environmental Flows in India” is being developed as part of the IEWP Action Plan and the draft version was launched by Shekhawat at the workshop.