India and Iran to Cooperate In the Area of Food Security through Efficient Use of Water and Technological Innovations in Irrigation: Minister of Water Resources Pawan Kumar Bansal
The Minister of Water Resources Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal represented India at the 21st ICID Congress on the theme ‘Water Productivity towards Food Security’ and 8th Micro Irrigation Congress on the theme ‘Innovation in Technology and Management of Micro-irrigation for Crop Production Enhancement’ in Teheran, Iran today.
Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal said that the theme of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) Congress, ‘Water Productivity towards Food Security’ has immense relevance in the current scenario, as the issue of poverty and hunger has become the most serious challenge facing the world today. In order to meet the increased food requirements of the global population, it is necessary to economise the use of water for irrigation by adopting improved technologies and improving water use efficiencies. Water productivity alone can be the answer to the challenge of water scarcity and for ensuring food security, he said in his address to the congress. The Minister of Water Resources Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal stressed that India and Iran have a strong cultural affinity embedded deep in our history and there is great potential for cooperation in irrigation and water resources sector also.
He further said that in view of dwindling per capita availability of water and to meet the rising multi-sectoral demands, due emphasis is also being given in India to demand side management. While tapping of available water resource through accelerated development of new projects is continuing, India has taken several steps for ensuring optimal utilization of the created facilities.
Indian government has planned to undertake various measures to improve the efficiency of the surface water irrigation system by 20% in five years under the Nation Water Mission targets, Shri Bansal said.
Shri Bansal emphasised that Micro-irrigation is more than just a water saving tool. Over the years it has emerged as an important technological intervention in crop productivity enhancement. It has now been fully recognized that users’ participation in the development and management of water resources is essential to achieve the objectives of efficiency and equity in the use of available water resources and maximization of productivity. Water resources development and management cannot and should not remain a governmental concern, he reminded. Water-related issues need to be addressed with the full involvement of the local communities and taking into account specific local conditions and concerns. Water Users Associations are also being increasingly set up to involve the farmers in best water use practices.
Following is the text of the Speech by the Minister of Water Resources, Government of India Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal at the 21st International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) Congress on the theme ‘Water Productivity towards Food Security’ and 8th Micro Irrigation Congress on the theme ‘Innovation in Technology and Management of Micro-irrigation for Crop Production Enhancement’ on 19th October, 2011, at Tehran, Iran:
Hon’ble Mr. M.R. Attarzadeh Deputy Minister of Energy for Water and Wastewater, Govt. of Islamic Republic of Iran and Chairman of the Iranian National Committee of ICID (IRNCID) , Prof Dr. Chandra Madramootoo, President ICID, Mr. M. Gopalakrishnan, Secretary General ICID, other eminent personalities on the dais, distinguished delegates at the Congress, ladies and gentlemen,
It is a matter of great pleasure for me to attend this 21st ICID Congress and share my thoughts with you all. First of all I would like to thank Government of Iran for inviting me to participate in the event and giving me an opportunity to address this august gathering.
The theme of the Congress, ‘Water Productivity towards Food Security’ has immense relevance in the current scenario, as the issue of poverty and hunger has become the most serious challenge facing the world today.
The increasing population exerts more and more pressure on our land and water resources to meet its growing food grain requirement. Therefore, the situation demands that these resources are put to most efficient use for sustained high agricultural production.
We all are aware of the fact that world over and especially in the developing world, the per capita availability of fresh water is continuously declining. Many countries in Africa and Asia face the lurking threat of water stress conditions due to rising population, higher standards of living and climate change.
In the World about 70 percent of total water resources developed are estimated to be used for irrigation, 23 percent for industries and the balance by the domestic sector. Due to competing demands, particularly increased demand of water for non-agricultural sectors, quantum available for irrigation sector is coming down.
Therefore, in order to meet the increased food requirements of the global population, it is necessary to economize the use of water for irrigation by adopting improved technologies and improving water use efficiencies. Water productivity alone can be the answer to the challenge of water scarcity and for ensuring food security.
I would like to complement ICID and IRNCID for choosing to highlight the vital issue of water productivity through this Congress.
In India, irrigation has traditionally been the largest user of water, its present utilization being around 80% of the total water use. Therefore, water resources development and management is largely dictated by the needs of irrigation. Considering projected population of 1.6 billion in 2050, the food production is required to be around 420 million tonnes as against the present level of 230 million tonnes, to ensure desired level of food security.
So far, we have concentrated on harnessing more and more of our water resource through development and creation of infrastructure projects like dams, barrages, canals etc.
But today, in view of dwindling per capita availability of water and to meet the rising multi-sectoral demands, due emphasis is also being given to demand side management. While tapping of available water resource through accelerated development of new projects is continuing, we have taken several steps for ensuring optimal utilization of the created facilities.
Presently, the water use efficiency in surface water irrigation systems is low and estimated to be in the range of 35 percent to 40 percent though it is around 65% in case of ground water. Irrigation being the major consumer of water, even a marginal improvement in the efficiency of surface water use will result in saving a large volume of water.
For this we are planning to undertake various measures to improve the efficiency of the system by 20% in five years under the Nation Water Mission targets.
Applying the right quantity of water at the right time and using right cultivation and irrigation practices can make appreciable difference and help achieve high level of efficiency. Considerable savings in water can be achieved by adoption of sprinkler, drip/micro-sprinkler irrigation systems in water scarcity areas, having conditions conducive to their application. Micro-irrigation is more than just a water saving tool. Over the years it has emerged as an important technological intervention in crop productivity enhancement. As 8th Micro-Irrigation Congress is also being organised concurrently with be the ICID Congress, I am sure that deliberations during the Congress will bring to the fore the latest technological developments and innovations in the field.
It has now been fully recognized that users’ participation in the development and management of water resources is essential to achieve the objectives of efficiency and equity in the use of available water resources and maximization of productivity. Water resources development and management cannot and should not remain a governmental concern. Water-related issues need to be addressed with the full involvement of the local communities and taking into account specific local conditions and concerns.
We have given due emphasis to capacity building and have established an excellent training institute, National Water Academy at Pune in the state of Maharashtra. This institute provides training to in-service engineers in various fields of Water Resources development and management. Courses to provide training to international candidates have also been started. I hope the member countries of ICID family would like to make use of these courses. Water Users Associations are also being increasingly set up to involve the farmers in best water use practices. ICID since its inception in the year 1950 has been actively working towards enhancing the productivity of irrigated and drained lands through appropriate management of water, environment and application of irrigation, drainage and flood management techniques.
My association with ICID began only in 2009 when India organized the annual event of ICID at New Delhi but since then it has grown immensely and I also attended the last year’s event at Indonesia and have since been inter-acting with the ICID office bearers. The two outgoing eminent office-bearers of the ICID; President, Prof Dr. Chandra Madramootoo and Secretary General, Mr. M. Gopalakrishnan, have contributed passionately and immensely in promoting activities related to irrigation productivity enhancement. Their efforts in this field are indeed laudable and I convey my best wishes to them for all success in their future pursuits.
I hope that deliberations during this Congress will be helpful in coming up with innovative solutions for important issues of enhancing water productivity and ensuring food security. It will definitely help in improving the knowledge base and share our expertise and experiences in the field gained over the years for fulfilling needs of agriculture and water sector of the world.
India and Iran have a strong cultural affinity embedded deep in our history and I feel there is potential for cooperation in irrigation and water resources sector also.
I wish to once again thank the Government of Islamic Republic of Iran for inviting me here and giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts with you.
The Minister of Water Resources Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal represented India at the 21st ICID Congress on the theme ‘Water Productivity towards Food Security’ and 8th Micro Irrigation Congress on the theme ‘Innovation in Technology and Management of Micro-irrigation for Crop Production Enhancement’ in Teheran, Iran today.
Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal said that the theme of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) Congress, ‘Water Productivity towards Food Security’ has immense relevance in the current scenario, as the issue of poverty and hunger has become the most serious challenge facing the world today. In order to meet the increased food requirements of the global population, it is necessary to economise the use of water for irrigation by adopting improved technologies and improving water use efficiencies. Water productivity alone can be the answer to the challenge of water scarcity and for ensuring food security, he said in his address to the congress. The Minister of Water Resources Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal stressed that India and Iran have a strong cultural affinity embedded deep in our history and there is great potential for cooperation in irrigation and water resources sector also.
He further said that in view of dwindling per capita availability of water and to meet the rising multi-sectoral demands, due emphasis is also being given in India to demand side management. While tapping of available water resource through accelerated development of new projects is continuing, India has taken several steps for ensuring optimal utilization of the created facilities.
Indian government has planned to undertake various measures to improve the efficiency of the surface water irrigation system by 20% in five years under the Nation Water Mission targets, Shri Bansal said.
Shri Bansal emphasised that Micro-irrigation is more than just a water saving tool. Over the years it has emerged as an important technological intervention in crop productivity enhancement. It has now been fully recognized that users’ participation in the development and management of water resources is essential to achieve the objectives of efficiency and equity in the use of available water resources and maximization of productivity. Water resources development and management cannot and should not remain a governmental concern, he reminded. Water-related issues need to be addressed with the full involvement of the local communities and taking into account specific local conditions and concerns. Water Users Associations are also being increasingly set up to involve the farmers in best water use practices.
Following is the text of the Speech by the Minister of Water Resources, Government of India Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal at the 21st International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) Congress on the theme ‘Water Productivity towards Food Security’ and 8th Micro Irrigation Congress on the theme ‘Innovation in Technology and Management of Micro-irrigation for Crop Production Enhancement’ on 19th October, 2011, at Tehran, Iran:
Hon’ble Mr. M.R. Attarzadeh Deputy Minister of Energy for Water and Wastewater, Govt. of Islamic Republic of Iran and Chairman of the Iranian National Committee of ICID (IRNCID) , Prof Dr. Chandra Madramootoo, President ICID, Mr. M. Gopalakrishnan, Secretary General ICID, other eminent personalities on the dais, distinguished delegates at the Congress, ladies and gentlemen,
It is a matter of great pleasure for me to attend this 21st ICID Congress and share my thoughts with you all. First of all I would like to thank Government of Iran for inviting me to participate in the event and giving me an opportunity to address this august gathering.
The theme of the Congress, ‘Water Productivity towards Food Security’ has immense relevance in the current scenario, as the issue of poverty and hunger has become the most serious challenge facing the world today.
The increasing population exerts more and more pressure on our land and water resources to meet its growing food grain requirement. Therefore, the situation demands that these resources are put to most efficient use for sustained high agricultural production.
We all are aware of the fact that world over and especially in the developing world, the per capita availability of fresh water is continuously declining. Many countries in Africa and Asia face the lurking threat of water stress conditions due to rising population, higher standards of living and climate change.
In the World about 70 percent of total water resources developed are estimated to be used for irrigation, 23 percent for industries and the balance by the domestic sector. Due to competing demands, particularly increased demand of water for non-agricultural sectors, quantum available for irrigation sector is coming down.
Therefore, in order to meet the increased food requirements of the global population, it is necessary to economize the use of water for irrigation by adopting improved technologies and improving water use efficiencies. Water productivity alone can be the answer to the challenge of water scarcity and for ensuring food security.
I would like to complement ICID and IRNCID for choosing to highlight the vital issue of water productivity through this Congress.
In India, irrigation has traditionally been the largest user of water, its present utilization being around 80% of the total water use. Therefore, water resources development and management is largely dictated by the needs of irrigation. Considering projected population of 1.6 billion in 2050, the food production is required to be around 420 million tonnes as against the present level of 230 million tonnes, to ensure desired level of food security.
So far, we have concentrated on harnessing more and more of our water resource through development and creation of infrastructure projects like dams, barrages, canals etc.
But today, in view of dwindling per capita availability of water and to meet the rising multi-sectoral demands, due emphasis is also being given to demand side management. While tapping of available water resource through accelerated development of new projects is continuing, we have taken several steps for ensuring optimal utilization of the created facilities.
Presently, the water use efficiency in surface water irrigation systems is low and estimated to be in the range of 35 percent to 40 percent though it is around 65% in case of ground water. Irrigation being the major consumer of water, even a marginal improvement in the efficiency of surface water use will result in saving a large volume of water.
For this we are planning to undertake various measures to improve the efficiency of the system by 20% in five years under the Nation Water Mission targets.
Applying the right quantity of water at the right time and using right cultivation and irrigation practices can make appreciable difference and help achieve high level of efficiency. Considerable savings in water can be achieved by adoption of sprinkler, drip/micro-sprinkler irrigation systems in water scarcity areas, having conditions conducive to their application. Micro-irrigation is more than just a water saving tool. Over the years it has emerged as an important technological intervention in crop productivity enhancement. As 8th Micro-Irrigation Congress is also being organised concurrently with be the ICID Congress, I am sure that deliberations during the Congress will bring to the fore the latest technological developments and innovations in the field.
It has now been fully recognized that users’ participation in the development and management of water resources is essential to achieve the objectives of efficiency and equity in the use of available water resources and maximization of productivity. Water resources development and management cannot and should not remain a governmental concern. Water-related issues need to be addressed with the full involvement of the local communities and taking into account specific local conditions and concerns.
We have given due emphasis to capacity building and have established an excellent training institute, National Water Academy at Pune in the state of Maharashtra. This institute provides training to in-service engineers in various fields of Water Resources development and management. Courses to provide training to international candidates have also been started. I hope the member countries of ICID family would like to make use of these courses. Water Users Associations are also being increasingly set up to involve the farmers in best water use practices. ICID since its inception in the year 1950 has been actively working towards enhancing the productivity of irrigated and drained lands through appropriate management of water, environment and application of irrigation, drainage and flood management techniques.
My association with ICID began only in 2009 when India organized the annual event of ICID at New Delhi but since then it has grown immensely and I also attended the last year’s event at Indonesia and have since been inter-acting with the ICID office bearers. The two outgoing eminent office-bearers of the ICID; President, Prof Dr. Chandra Madramootoo and Secretary General, Mr. M. Gopalakrishnan, have contributed passionately and immensely in promoting activities related to irrigation productivity enhancement. Their efforts in this field are indeed laudable and I convey my best wishes to them for all success in their future pursuits.
I hope that deliberations during this Congress will be helpful in coming up with innovative solutions for important issues of enhancing water productivity and ensuring food security. It will definitely help in improving the knowledge base and share our expertise and experiences in the field gained over the years for fulfilling needs of agriculture and water sector of the world.
India and Iran have a strong cultural affinity embedded deep in our history and I feel there is potential for cooperation in irrigation and water resources sector also.
I wish to once again thank the Government of Islamic Republic of Iran for inviting me here and giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts with you.
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