Paper Published in
Asian Jour. of Prof. Ethics & Mng. Vol.11, No.2.
July - Sept. Bangalore. ISSN No: 2349-1434 (Print) & ISSN 2348-8220
(Online).
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PUBLIC GOVERNANCE IN WATER MANAGEMENT
–
ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS
Lakshmi
Narayana N
Mentor
Geo Rehabilitation Centre, Hyderabad.
Email ID: grcnln@gmail.com
“Life is impossible
without Water - the best Gift
to coming Generation is Water”
ABSTRACT
It is the fact and reality that there is
no life without water. It is very difficult to imagine life without water.
Water is the essential commodity of the human life at every stage covering
their health, wealth. growth and development. Development and protection of
water and other Natural resources has become the essential part of the people.
Availability of water is not the problem but its management for making its
accessible to the people is more serious. The shift from people oriented
development to business oriented development, increase in population, higher
demand, demand for luxury life, pollution, wastage, and exploitation do affect
the dynamics of water resources and thus lead for water crises resulting for
marginalization, hazards, disasters, global warming, and climate change which
finally lead for poor quality of life. Water has gained top priority in
achieving the targets of Sustainable Development Goals. The principles of Water
Governance support for effectiveness with efficiency of water management
starting from assessment, harvesting, storage, utilization, recycle to disposal
with community based initiatives. The opportunities with the use of
technological tools and community based strategies and initiatives do enhance
the availability, accessibility and affordability to water and thus supports
for the growth and development of the People and Nation. The role of Civil
Society Organizations working with Government and Private has gained priority
to work on the model of partnership. The community initiatives and its preparedness
with social auditing do result for better participation with accountability and
transparency from designing, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The models and initiatives of the study are
simple, replicable, scalable, and sustainable matching to the dynamics of the
targeted area, community and people.
Key
Words: Water,
Governance, Harvesting, Storage, Exploration, Exploitation, Conservation,
Pollution, Development, Sustainability, Quality of Life.
Statement
of the Problem
Initiatives
Author has contributed in this area (more
than three decades) covering: survey, mapping, identification, assessment,
categorization, pumping, transportation, supply, utilization, recycle,
monitoring, evaluation, and discharge. The tools deployed includes: Geological,
Geophysical (both surface and borehole), Geochemical, and other associated
tools with technological use of GPS, GIS and others. Other initiative
taken up in reaching the unreached groups includes: awareness cum advocacy,
counselling, guidance, training, presentations at seminars & workshops,
publication of papers (both National & International Books & Journals)
and sharing & dissemination by way of e-forums.
Conclusions
The study made has got priority with
significant impact and some of the key suggestions emerged include:
ü It
is the fact and reality that there is no life without water. In fact, it is
very difficult to imagine life without water. Water is the essential commodity
of the human life at every stage including their health, growth and
development.
ü Around
71% of the Earth Surface is covered with Water and 96.5% of Earth’s Surface
water is confined to Oceans as saline leaving only 2.5% of it as a fresh.
ü Our
ancients are wise and took maximum care to protect and preserve Water and other
natural resources as they considered them as part of their life and
development.
ü It
clearly reflects that in spite of having water in various forms, still majority
of the population is struggling for potable water and still get affected with
poverty and its consequences.
ü On
the other side, increase in population and higher demand of water for
industrialization, urbanization and modernization put pressure on water
resources giving scope for exploitation and pollution.
ü Mismatch
in water harvesting, storage, exploration, exploitation, demand, pollution,
wastage, and conservation affected Water Security, Food Security, Education for
all, Employment, Livelihoods, Dynamics of Family & Community and
Development which further resulted for bias, inequality, violation, crime,
hazards, disasters, marginalization, isolation, and finally for poor quality of
life (QOL).
ü In
such circumstances, the problem is not with the availability of water but its
accessibility and affordability (3As).
ü The
situation is alarming to the stakeholders as the Nation is moving towards the
achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in which water does play a
key role.
ü Right
to Water for Life expects “every person has a right to sufficient quantity of
safe water for life within easy reach of the household regardless of, among
others, caste, creed, religion, community, class, gender, age, disability,
economic status, land ownership and place of residence”.
ü Water
and Development works as a cause and consequence of each other and move
together for the growth of the people and communities.
ü Technological
tools covering Geological, Geophysical, Hydrological, Drilling, Geochemical,
Geotechnical, and Global Positioning System (GPS) along with data acquisition,
processing and interpretation software like Geographical Information System
(GIS) do play a key role in the whole governance and management of water
resources covering: harvesting, mapping, assessment, categorization, storage,
transportation, utilization, recycle, protection from pollutants &
exploitation, desalinization, purification, monitoring and evaluation from time
to time. Use of such technologies, will certainly improve the water resources
with better availability, accessibility and affordability (3As).
ü The
problem with water is not with its availability but lies in making it
accessible and affordable by way water management and its Governance.
ü Principles
of Water Governance are expected to work effectively and efficiently starting
from identification, storage, transportation, supply, utilization, monitoring
and evaluation on water cycle basis with trust among the users and other
stakeholders.
ü The
strategies and initiatives developed and implemented towards the achievement of
SDGs (2015-2030) are expected to result for Universality, Integration and
Transformation with Integrated & Sustainable Development (ISD) so that
people’s and Nation’s health and wealth can be protected in an Inclusive
Community / Environment which further moves towards developed Nation.
ü The
causes and consequences of challenges with Governance and Management of water do
result for poor Development, deepening of Poverty, poor Relationships, poor
Quality of Life (QOL), Global Warming, Climate Change, Hazards, and Disasters
which finally affects the health and wealth of the People and Nation.
ü The
opportunities of Water Governance and Management will certainly improve water
security with better availability, accessibility and affordability (3As) so
that development can be made in an inclusive and integrated manner which
finally improves the quality of life of the people with better sustainability.
ü The
limitation of Government and Private (together as PPP) can be minimized by
taking the support of NGOs on partnership basis by way of Government – Private
– NGO Partnership (GPNP) covering the whole processes as a model of designing,
implementing, monitoring and evaluation (DIME).
ü The
recent interlinking process took place between Godavari River and Krishna River
has shown the capacities of the people where they are enjoying the benefits.
ü Taking
this as a lead, such initiatives should be continued for the benefit of People
and Nation by making water available, accessible and affordable to all with matching
delivery systems.
ü The
initiative taken up in reaching the unreached groups includes: awareness cum
advocacy, counselling, guidance, training, presentations at seminars &
workshops, publication of papers (both National & International Books &
Journals) and sharing & dissemination by way of e-forums.
ü The
strategies and models developed and implemented are simple, scalable,
replicable and sustainable
Recommendations
The study is well connected with the
growth and development of the People and Nation and recommendation made
include:
ü More
and more Awareness cum Advocacy programmes should be conducted for enhancing
the community based initiatives.
ü Need
based Trainings should be conducted for improving the skills and capacities of
the people and communities with better preparedness.
ü Encourage
students for research studies in association with communities with problem
solving strategies and approaches.
ü Conduct
Workshops and Seminars with publications on development, governance, management
and evaluation with effective transfer of technologies from Lab to Land /
Community.
ü Support
NGOs / CSOs to work with Government and Private on Partnership basis by the
model of designing, implementation, monitoring and evaluation (DIME).
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Looking forward
