Indus treaty with Pak world’s holiest, we are honouring it despite 3 wars: Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

What were your suggestions?

I requested Csaba Korösi, president of the UN General Assembly, to bring different bodies dealing with water-related issues under one umbrella, just like PM Narendra Modi integrated ministries, departments and divisions by creating this Ministry (of Jal Shakti). In the UN, almost 24 organisations are dealing with different aspects of water. Korösi accepted my suggestion and mentioned it during his concluding speech. On the lines of India-WRIS platform, Korösi said they too are thinking of making a global platform where all water-related information will be available in public domain… I also mentioned about Mission LiFE…

One of the themes was ‘water action decade’. What did India commit?

Our commitment in the sector is the maximum. Our investment of $240 billion is globally the highest… This is just the public sector investment… Simultaneously, we have taken initiatives of providing drinking water and supplying tap water to every rural household by 2024… To ensure the good quality of drinking water, we have established over 2,000 laboratories, provided testing kits and training to almost 2 million women. We have also developed a sensor-based, IoT based capacity, which we are now promoting…

Another theme was ‘water for cooperation’. As per the UN, transboundary rivers, lakes and aquifers are shared by 153 countries around the world. What is India’s stand?

There are two things — sharing of data for early flood forecast and managing water resources. We are actively engaged with all our neighbours — China, Nepal… In Bhutan also, we have telemetry systems from where we get information smoothly. As far as transboundary water disputes or cooperations are concerned, I told the member countries that there are two types of transboundary corporations within the country, because water is a state subject. More than 150 MoUs are being implemented smoothly in India, barring a few issues. The Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan is the world’s holiest. Despite three wars, we are still honouring it.

In a report, a parliamentary standing committee urged the government to consider defining e-flow for the Yamuna on the lines of the Ganga to maintain its health.

As on date, the Yamuna faces crisis during non-monsoon season and the water it draws from the upstream is stored in Wazirabad barrage for further supply to Delhi. There is not enough water that can be used to maintain the e-flow.  So, to ensure the e-flow, we first have to construct reservoirs on upstream of Yamuna, which we have already started. The tender process for two projects — Lakhwar and Kishau — is already on…

The water quality is quite bad.

It’s just sewage. Not a single drop of fresh water flows post Wazirabad up to Agra.