Rajasthan, CII sign MoU to set up water institute

The Rajasthan government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to set up a water institute in Jaipur.

The MoU was signed by Water Resources Principal Secretary SN Thanvi and Rajasthan State Council CII Chairman Shripal Choudhari here on Wednesday. The water institute would be a centre of excellence for water conservation and management in the country.

Giving details about the institute, CII National Committee Chairman Arun Nanda on water said it would be a one-stop solution provider on water management, it would facilitate rainwater harvesting and would also facilitate industry and community participation in integrated water resources management.

Nanda said the institute would mobilize multilateral agencies and donors support for the water projects in the state. He said the Indian government is spending more than Rs 45,000 crores per year for managing water-borne diseases in the country.

He said the objective of the conference was to facilitate public-private-community partnership (PPCP) in water management. "PPCP is the best model and is the only way to manage the water resources," he added.

Earlier, while inaugurating the Water Summit 2006, jointly organised by CII, World Economic Forum and the state government here on Wednesday, Governor Pratibha Patil said, "We must comprehend the sensitivity of the water sector, no single institution, including government or private sector can boast of having the capability of solving this alone."

She added no single solution can resolve the water issues; "We have to work hand in hand - community, industry, government and people together," she added.

While appreciating the formation of Rajasthan Community Business Alliance on Water and other initiatives of Government of Rajasthan, the Governor said PPCP model would be an excellent alternative for managing water in Rajasthan.

She said this is more relevant in the case of Rajasthan, which has 10 per cent of the country area and 5.4 per cent population but has only 1.6 per cent of surface water. Universities and Colleges should also be involved in this initiative, she said.

Additional Chief Secretary DC Samant said over 8 million children in the world die every year on account of water diseases and poor sanitation.

He said more awareness needs to be created and effective involvement of community in water resource management is important.

World Economic Forum Director Dominic Waughray said there was no alternative to water. The 2-day summit which would end on Thursday is attended by over 170 participants.