JOIN USAbsence of political representatives and decision makers turned the Bangalore Water Summit a rather dry affair as the three-day event concluded here with much talk and little action.
The final day saw panel discussions involving representatives from academia, research and industry experts. Much of the discussion focused on issues related to groundwater, borewells and the need for expertise in management of water resources.
Seetharam K, a faculty from National University of Singapore, gave a rather serious warning to Bangaloreans when he said that the City was headed for a huge epidemic.
“This City, in particular, is two decades behind in terms of water management and technology used in the sector. There is a great need for innovative ideas that will help preserve quantity and quality of water,” he said.
He gave the example of Bangkok Syndrome when the city had traffic jams and two-wheelers would ferry people from vehicles stuck in jams to their destination through alternative routes. “A similar kind of thinking needs to come up in water supply which is also not very different in terms of pipeline network,” said Seetharam. He raised the irony that the summit was when he said, “A water summit provides bottled water of private companies to all its delegates. The next time at least, it must show the way to others by providing recycled or harvested water.”
Students from National Law School of India University presented a draft policy which comprised all the major recommendations made by delegates over the past two days.
Some of the major suggestions made on the final day were that water sector in Karnataka needs to follow the power sector model, wherein a state-level body controls several energy supply companies in different districts.
Prevention of leakages during supply and a holistic management of groundwater were also felt as urgent requirements.
Close to 400 international and national delegates attended the three-day water summit.