Third India Water Imapct Summit (Iwis)
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A CONSOLIDATED REPORT ON THIRD INDIA WATER IMAPCT SUMMIT (IWIS) 5-7th DECEMBER 2018 VIGYAN BHAWAN, NEW DELHI Ganga Session-S.indd 1 8/18/2019 6:19:30 PM 2 IWIS • 2018 Ganga Session-S.indd 2 8/18/2019 6:19:35 PM MESSAGE iz/kku ea=h Hkkjr ljdkj Prime Minister Government of India NARENDRA MODI It is a pleasure to learn that National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the Centre for Ganga Basin Management and Studies (cGanga) are jointly organizing the “India Water Impact Summit” in New Delhi. The theme of the Summit – ‘Showcasing and enhancing impacts of national & international efforts on Ganga rejuvenation’ is a timely initiative. Water conservation is a social responsibility. The life-giving waters of ‘Maa Ganga’ have nourished the spirit and lives of millions of Indians over the centuries. Our Government is committed to the cleaning and conservation of ‘Maa Ganga, but this also requires a ‘Bhagirath’ effort by every citizen – individually and collectively. The gathering of national and international experts at this Summit will hold extensive deliberations to explore financial avenues to develop a credible and sustainable financial model for rejuvenation of ‘Maa Ganga’. I hope that all the stakeholders will also look at ways to utilize innovation and technology to develop cutting-edge initiatives that can help rejuvenate ‘Maa Ganga’ in its pristine form. May ‘Maa Ganga’ shower Her blessings for successful deliberations at the India Water Impact Summit – 2018. Date: 3rd December 2018 Place: New Delhi (NARENDRA MODI) Ganga Session-S.indd 3 8/18/2019 6:19:40 PM VINOD TARE RAJIV RANJAN Professor and Founding Head Centre for Ganga River Basin Management MISHRA Director General, NMCG & Studies (cGanga), Ministry of Jal Shakti Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur e thank all participants from India absence of adequate government finances to meet this and abroad for making the Third India requirement so that a framework is developed for pooling Water Impact Summit a resounding resources from global and local investors for financing success. The many insights, critical new technologies, innovations and models. questions and observations, Breaking new ground, the present Summit also knowledge inputs, suggestions and attempted to review the many independent and Wconstructive debate by participants based on their multipronged efforts that have been undertaken in expertise and experiences from theworld over helped in creating a veritable treasure trove of ways and means recent years by various Central and State agencies – to assimilate the multifarious avenues of River Ganga’s some with international support – to help meet Namami rejuvenation and other critical aspects of managing Gange’s goals of rejuvenation and conservation of India’s water environment. Our sincere thanks go out to India’s National River Ganga (Ganges). Water being a all participants. State subject, meaningful action is often at the level of individual States. But each state may have its own The first Summit, held in 2012, was an aggregate special needs and uses for water and rivers. of numerous activities that had been taking place over the previous few years in regard to managing Thus, a highly urbanized megalopolis State like India’s water resources. The Second Summit, held in Delhi with limited consumptive water needs but high 2017, was the first full-fledged attempt to establish anthropogenic water use and wastewater generation a new multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder forum to and a relatively sparsely populated and forested State bring together policy makers at national and state like Uttarakhand with relatively little anthropogenic levels, technology & engineering firms, finance and water use and producing even less wastewater investment representatives, and interested civil society (except during tourist seasons) offer quite different members to brainstorm on pressing issues of India’s problems and challenges. Moreover, each state has water environment in the background of insights and its own sociocultural norms, developmental goals, recommendations of Ganga River Basin Management and institutional practices as regards rivers and Plan (GRBMP) 2015 as well as various local and global water resources management. Hence each state may developments on water issues. approach the goal of rejuvenation and conservation of National River Ganga in its own special way considering Continuing the efforts of the last Summit, the present its longstanding and dynamic relation with the river. Summit (IWIS 2018) hosted the inaugural Ganga Finance Forum for interested financial institutions and investors This Summit focused on what has been achieved so to brainstorm intensively through multiple interactive far in reviving India’s National River Ganga (Ganges) at sessions. This was felt especially needed in the the level of her most critical basin States – Bihar, Delhi, Ganga Session-S.indd 4 8/18/2019 6:19:43 PM Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal – and for developing and maintaining the basin’s water what further needs to be done in these States in the infrastructure and ecosystems are dependent on light of GRBMP recommendations. It was imperative comprehensive data of different types. Presently to showcase, discuss and assess these activities the hydrological, water quality, biodiversity, land- independently and collectively to identify the progress use, socio-economic and other relevant data made and the gaps, if any, in terms of technological, available in the country are of different standards, institutional, legal, governance, economic and other accuracies and resolutions due to varying shortcomings and constraints. Such appraisal enables measurement techniques and procedures adopted course correction and provides the needed impetus for a by different agencies/individuals and/or by the firm and steady move towards the goals. same agency at different times. It is essential to review the field data measurement, collection and The Summit also considered some other issues of collation procedures, and assess how to enable relevance including methodological and practicable their easy and meaningful use. Hence the Summit ways of decentralizing water and wastewater discussed in depth the issue of data harmonization infrastructure to revive local water bodies, harmonizing as a separate theme. basin planning and management data generated by various sources, role and impact of catchment Another important issue discussed in this Summit afforestation on river biodiversity, and the making of concerns new technologies and innovations in comprehensive urban river/ water management plans water and wastewater management and allied for our rapidly developing towns and cities. Regarding areas such as solid waste management. Innovative the first issue, the clean-up of River Ganga (and other environmental technologies have been emerging highly polluted tributaries such as the Yamuna) has and coming into India rapidly in the last few decades been an emotive subject for Indians and even global as environmental problems multiply and diversify. citizens. It is also a pressing health and developmental Since the applications of such technologies are often issue. But apart from River Ganga herself, water primarily in the sphere of public infrastructure, many bodies in the basin also need to be revived to government agencies are burdened with choosing sustain the river ecosystem. The decentralization promising innovations from a profusion of appealing of water and wastewater infrastructure combined claims. A definitive evaluation process for the with replenishment of surface water bodies (which innovativeness, technical soundness, applicability, also implies enhanced groundwater recharge) with resource (such as energy, chemicals and land area) treated sewage and trade effluents is an apt solution, usage, and costs (Capex and Opex) is therefore especially useful in urban locales which often face essential. The ETV (Environmental Technology serious problems of water over-withdrawals and Verification) process initiated by cGanga and other pollutant inflows to their water bodies. reputed research institutes in India and abroad were While looking at the impacts on water bodies discussed in order to devise appropriate protocols for and rivers, the design and operation of urban water such evaluation. infrastructure need to be integrated into comprehensive urban river/water management plans of riparian towns to In concluding, we would like to thank the Indian ensure the river’s integrity and sustenance. Besides, such Government and State Governments of Uttarakhand, plans can significantly enhance the utilitarian, cultural and Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Delhi, spiritual values of the river for respective towns and the partners, panelists, speakers, staff and volunteers region as a whole, and thereby ensure the sustainability who put in a lot of faith and hard work into making of measures through societal support and institutional this Summit a success. We look forward to further commitments. Hence urban river/water management our efforts for evidence-based knowledge inputs for plans were discussed as a separate theme in this Summit. comprehensively managing India’s water environment and move forward from the very promising All well-prepared plans, designs and schemes achievements of IWIS-2018. Ganga Session-S.indd 5 8/18/2019 6:19:45 PM WORDS OF WISDOM ea=h ty lalk/ku] unh fodkl] xaxk laj{k.k] lM+d ifjogu] jktekxZ ,oa iksr ifjogu Hkkjr ljdkj Minister Ministry of Water Resources, River