Ministry board urges politicians to include water crisis in election manifesto 

Political parties urged to include water crisis in election manifestos due to climate change, says Shashi Shekhar.

Political parties must include the ‘water crisis’ in their election manifesto when climate change is a real daunting existential crisis, said Shashi Shekhar, former secretary, of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India at a day multi-stakeholder workshop titled, ‘Securing water in a time of climate change through natural ecosystems management’ held on March 21 in Mumbai organised by WOTR (Watershed Organisation Trust), Government of Maharashtra and India Climate Collaborative.

The day-long discussion was conducted to mark ‘Water for Peace’ the theme of World Water Day (March 22) this year, that urges to focus on the critical role water plays in the stability of the state and its people.  

“Year after year, the State is grappling with drought and water crisis. There should be conscience among all the political parties. Every MLA and MP must work for this looming crisis. We will collate our research work and presentation from today’s discussion and present it to the state government. Deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis is a very progressive politician, we had had a round of discussion on this earlier and he sounded positive,” said Mr. Shekhar while speaking to The Hindu.  

“Maharashtra has 4000 dams that have dried up the rivers. Trillions of water is stored in reservoirs but how much is reaching to the farmers? Maharashtra never had sugarcane belt, it used to be Bihar, as this crop is not favourable to a dry climatic zone like Maharashtra. The government must preserve the natural ecosystem that includes wetlands, floodplains, mangroves and catchment areas; communities must do ground water supply and demand and canal irrigation should be converted into pipe and drip irrigation,” added Mr. Shekhar.  

As summer advances, water scarcity across Maharashtra is worsening. The year 2023-24, drought has been declared in 42 tehsils in the state. Due to low rainfall and heavy reliance on groundwater, 16 districts have seen a significant drop in their groundwater levels, as per Groundwater Survey and Development Agency, January 7, 2024. The Shirur block is the worst affected, with levels 5.41 meters below normal. In December last year, the water stock in dams was at 65% capacity and 440 tankers were plying across the state to meet the drinking water needs of the people.  

The water table in Maharashtra is sinking; as the state falls into the Deccan trap, the groundwater recharge will be slow, said Mr. Shekhar. “Farmers need to switch to drought resilience crops. Enormous investments in dams have yielded minimal benefits, stressing the need to revise the foundations of the water policy.

Water management requires a holistic approach, beyond mere rainwater harvesting. It demands community-led initiatives, aided by government agencies employing remote sensing to identify optimal locations for such structures. Communities must understand their water resources to make informed decisions on usage.”