Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Identify a time-bound programme for investments needed in the five year plans to meet
the needs of 2025.
Integrate surface water and groundwater.
Aim for attaining equity, efficiency, economy and efficacy in all aspects of water
resources development.
Identify basin-wise contemplated storage schemes and undertake and complete them by
2025. Enhance useable waters simultaneously through special means, such as inter-
basin transfers.
Undertake watershed development and management in rain-fed areas through ample
provisions.
Maintain food security through 'sufficiency plus buffer stocks' and through governance
towards 2025. Divert areas to cash crops if and when food production exceeds this
threshold level.
Collect, evacuate, treat and recycle all wastewater. Do not allow release of polluted
water directly into rivers. Industry should only use make-up water.
Implement drainage schemes to allow irrigated agriculture to convert non-point sources
of pollution to point sources of collected drainage water, to enable treatment and re-use.
Water resource development redistributes terrestrial waters to land from which it can
run off, and hence can be considered as eco-friendly. Maximise the productivity of
terrestrial eco-systems consuming significant quantities of waters. Quantify it.
Assess the lengths of river systems presently supporting aquatic eco-systems. Try to
sustain them. Assess goods and services provided by eco-systems for humans. Where
possible, shift fisheries to reservoirs from flow systems.
Stop encroachments on mangroves, assess freshwater need and provide it by pipelines,
rather than through river channel, terming it environmental flow requirements (EFR).
Dispassionately examine EFRs and minimum flow needs (MFN) based on realistic
studies/needs. They are expensive, and do not reach targets if the needs of en-route
human systems are left unattended.
Assess and promote public awareness of flood amelioration provided by dams,
including drought proofing and avoiding desertification.
Adopt all science and technological interventions on a priority basis to bring about
realisation of the objectives of Integrated Water Resources Development and
management.
Investment for addressing water needs for food, people and nature has many tacit
returns. Quantify them independently and collectively, to help generate a propensity by
policy makers and national governments to allocate these.
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The views expressed in this paper are the author's impression, and are not necessarily the
opinion of the organisations which he serves, or has served in the past.
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