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Saturday, November 17, 2007

UN sensitises local politicians in Rajasthan

The UN and the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly held a lively discussion on the issue of water yesterday at the premises of Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Hall in Jaipur.

The UN has selected the Indian state of Rajasthan as a priority state for its focus on vital sectors such as water resources management, healthcare, nutrition, education and HIV/AIDS for the next five years i.e. 2008 to 2012.

Addressing the first meeting of the Forum in the Legislative Assembly premises, the UN Resident Coordinator Dr. Maxine Olson reminded the audience that different wings of the United Nations have been working in the state in the field of water for life and livelihood.

She expressed her concern regarding the deteriorating quality of drinking water and noted that the problems of excess fluoride and microbiological contamination needed lasting solutions.

The meeting was aimed at identifying the areas needing attention and evolving a strategy to resolve the issues of water availability, management and quality.

Radhika Kaul Batra, advocacy officer of Resident Coordinators Office, Delhi told OneWorld South Asia that the objective such Forums is to facilitate legislators to discuss the concerned issues in a more structured manner and enable them to adopt a more result oriented approach towards development issues.

Several states like Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Sikkim, etc. already have such forums.

She said that the UN would like to take their association with the state of Rajasthan further by proposing a knowledge partnership in the area of Human Development and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This would facilitate the legislators to bring a human development dimension to the debate on policy issues.

Speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, Sumitra Singh called for taking steps for rejuvenation of traditional water sources and restoration of pastureland, while noting that 142 of the 237 panchayat samitis (village councils) in the state had turned into dark zones in respect of the groundwater situation.

She also added that the rooftop rainwater harvesting in new dwelling units in cities should be made mandatory.

Noted economist Prof V.S. Vyas said that judged by any standard, Rajasthan is severely handicapped as far as water is concerned and underlined the need for greater investment in augmenting water resources and ensuring tangible benefits to the users. He said the elected representatives had an important role in ensuring efficient use of water.

Hemant Joshi, Executive Director, Communication and Capacity Development Unit, pointed out that the groundwater in Rajasthan, which is a source for 91% of drinking water schemes, has high fluoride and nitrate content and high salinity and brackishness.

He warned that the lack of facilities for waste disposal, inadequate arrangement for waste treatment facilities and on-site sanitation, such as latrines, were adversely affecting the groundwater quality.

Long-term redressal of drinking water quality requires support from elected representatives as well as programme implementation departments. Legislative and policy reforms may also be needed to achieve this objective.

Members of the Legislative Assembly are actively working on a bill to deal with groundwater extraction and water quality issues. It particularly needs a political will to ensure greater success of such initiatives.

The role of members of Legislative Assembly is very crucial especially for the proposed legislation on drinking water quality. They can build a positive environment for the adoption and implementation of such laws leading to improvement and sustenance of water quality in the state.

Source: http://southasia.oneworld.net/


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