Water availability to be main planning focus in future: Hamid Ansari

Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari has said the issue of water availability in India could become a central question before national planning agencies in the future with the impact of global climate changes.

He urged the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) here to play a major role in developing knowledge, insight and skills to meet the upcoming challenges on this front.

Ansari was speaking at the inaugural of the CWPRS centenary celebrations at Khadakwasla on the outskirts of the city on Tuesday.

Lauding CWPRS's contributions over the years, Ansari said the field of water resources management will have to continue to adapt to the current and future issues facing the allocation of water.

"With the growing uncertainties of global climate will lead to situations that have not been encountered, and as a result new management strategies will have to be implemented to avoid setbacks in the allocation of water resources," Ansari cautioned.

Coupled with the growing uncertainties of global climate change and long-term impacts of management actions, this decision-making will be even more difficult, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti emphasised the role of CWPRS in sustainable development of the society.

With the water resources getting stressed and the sustainable development goals set by the global community, the CWPRS' role would be critical in providing optimum solutions through research and development in both water and power sectors.

Marking the momentous occasion, Ansari released a special commemorative postage stamp on CWPRS besides a coffee table book on CWPRS' service research and studies on the Narmada Project.

The CWPRS was set up as a Special Irrigation District in 1916 by the then Bombay Presidency and since then has become a world-class institution engaged in research and development for design of water resources structures, river engineering, hydropower generation, coastal engineering projects etc.

Considering its research and expertise, it is now a Nodal Agency under the World Bank-aided National Hydrology Project to guiding on hydro-meteorological and water quality equipments selection, commissioning and quality control for all states and union territories.

The CWPRS will set up a Centenary Complex for it various instruments and activities to support water resources management programs and hold a global seminar on November 7-8 in Pune on 'Real Time Data Acquisition for Integrated Water Resources Management'.

--IANS

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