HOW CAN WE MANAGE WATER RESOURCES IN INDIA

Introduction: India with an area of 3287263 km2 is the seventh largest country in world and by population it ranks at number two after China. Since Independence, India has made significant progress in developing its water resources and supporting infrastructure. Water is a key driver of social and economic development while it also has a basic function in maintaining the integrity of the natural environment. However, water is only one of a number of vital natural resources and it is imperative that water issues are not considering isolation. Water is fundamental to life, livelihood, food security and sustainable development. India has more that 17% of world’s population, 2.4% of world’s land area but has only 4% of world’s renewable water resources. Water is essential for sustaining all forms of life, food production, and economic development and for general wellbeing. It is impossible to substitute for most of its uses, difficult to de-pollute, expensive to transport and it is truly a unique gift to humanity from nature. Water is also one of the most manageable of the natural resources as it is capable of diversion, transport, and storage and recycling. All these properties impart to water its great utility for human being