Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti V Somanna with delegates in the two-day summit on ‘Vision for Sujalam Bharat’ organised by Jal Shakti Ministry at Delhi. The event concluded on Saturday.
Credit: Jal Shakti Ministry
New Delhi: Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti V Somanna has said India must combine traditional knowledge with technological solutions to ensure long-term water security.
He was addressing the Ministry of Jal Shakti's two-day summit on ‘Vision for Sujalam Bharat’ which concluded on Saturday.
Somanna said 82 per cent of rural households now have tap water under the Jal Jeevan Mission, and six lakh villages have achieved the open defecation-free status under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Grey water treatment had reached 91 per cent of villages, guided by the "reduce, reuse, recycle" framework, Somanna said.
He pointed to Karnataka's Narayanapura Left Bank Canal SCADA system as an example of technology improving efficiency, and to the ancient stepwell at the Ayodhya temple as a reminder that traditional structures can offer sustainable models even in hard-rock areas.
"Sujalam means abundance," Somanna said, adding, "Our challenge is to convert a limited resource into an abundant one."
India has about 20% of the world’s population but only 4% of freshwater. Thus, it is very important for India to take a leadership role in water conservation – at national as well as global levels, he said.
Between 2014 and 2019 more than 100 million household toilets were constructed, he said.