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Govts must adopt intergrated move on fresh water
Our Bureau
New Delhi, Jan 20: The emerging global fresh water crisis may erode billions of dollars worth of investment in providing safe and adequate water for millions of people, says a news report launched on Tuesday jointly by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature and the Unicef."Only a healthy environment can sustain a healthy child", said WWF International director-general Claude Martin at a news conference on Tuesday. "WWF's partnership with Unicef in India should lead to a worldwide collaboration to conserve fresh water which is becoming a scarce natural resource", he said. "Governments must adopt an integrated approach to fresh water management-from the river basin to micro watershed," he said. The report, based on micro-level studies, suggests that there was urgent need for legislative changes combined with technological and market interventions. Without such measures, India may face a severe water scarcity and degradation of freshwater ecosystems, it says. Integrated water management needs not only the
development of policies on paper but full participation from the people. In this exercise, it is crucial for governments to work closely with NGOs for capacity building and empowerment of the people, the report stresses. "Involvement of local communities alone can ensure the success of a national water policy", Gourishankar Ghosh, chief of water, environment and sanitation section of Unicef, said.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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