Concerned over the severe impact of drought on agriculture, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan today called upon the parliamentarians to unite to find solution to preserve natural resources of water.
Inaugurating a two-day workshop organised by Speaker's Research Initiative (SRI), Mahajan said that diminishing water resources and other related factors are posing formidable challenges before the policymakers.
The workshop, which was attended by 89 MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, is being organised to sensitise parliamentarians on issues related to drought.
Access to safe water for drinking, irrigation and other purposes are becoming a matter of daily survival for a large population, she said.
"...Parliamentarians across the party lines need to unite to overcome drought-like situation by devising credible strategies to manage and preserve water resources," Mahajan said.
The speaker said the MPs have been discussing issues related to drought but also need to find and suggest solutions to this challenge.
Highlighting the impact of drought-like situation on agricultural production in the country, the Speaker said this could cause instability to India's food security.
She also emphasised on research to augment the existing technology and importance of water harvesting.
It is responsibility of everyone to work together to ensure judicious use of water and urgent attention is required to recharge depleting ground water levels and maximising the water productivity, she said.
Mangala Rai, former Director General of Indian Council for Agriculture Research, Himanshu Thakkar, Co-coordinator, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), T C James of RIS, and Indira Khurana (IPE Global) interacted with the MPs.
