NEW DELHI: Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan on Tuesday said that water is the foundation of life and civilisations, and stressed the need for its judicious use, conservation and effective management.
In his inaugural address at the 9th Indian International Water Week on “Climate Resilient Water Management”, organised by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in New Delhi on Tuesday, the Vice-President said, “Saving water is of paramount importance for humanity and the globe”.
Recalling a 19,000-km Ratha Yatra he undertook across Tamil Nadu several years ago, he said river interlinking could help address situations in which some regions face floods while others experience drought. Emphasising India’s civilisational connect with rivers, he said Indian communities had developed rich traditions and practices for conserving, sharing and managing water over centuries.
“Our traditional wisdom provides valuable lessons for addressing today’s water challenges,” he said.
The Vice-President also said that India accounts for about 2.4 per cent of the world’s land area and 18 per cent of its population, while possessing only about 4 per cent of global freshwater resources. He stressed that India’s water-use requirements cannot be compared with those of countries having greater water availability and smaller populations.
Calling for behavioural change, he urged citizens to adopt simple water-saving practices in their daily lives. “We can take a bath using two buckets or twenty buckets. The choice is ours. We can close the tap while brushing our teeth. These may appear to be small things, but within these small actions lies the interest of humanity and the world,” he said.
The Vice-President said climate change, rapid urbanisation and population growth were making water management increasingly complex. He stressed the need for an integrated approach encompassing river-basin management, groundwater recharge, rainwater harvesting and efficient irrigation. He also highlighted the importance of cooperation among States in addressing water-sharing issues.
Appreciating the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he noted that 10 inter-State MoUs had been signed for water sharing. He appreciated the efforts of the Union Government, the Ministry of Jal Shakti and participating States in promoting cooperative solutions. He particularly highlighted the Kishau Multipurpose Project agreement among six States as an important example of inter-State cooperation.
He further said that as India moves towards becoming a developed economy by 2047, efficient and sustainable water management would be critical. He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for “Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari” and urged citizens to make water conservation a mass movement. He called for a shift from reactive to predictive and technology-enabled water management.
Calling for a multi-stakeholder and multi-dimensional approach, Vice-President Radhakrishnan said water challenges could not be addressed by any single institution, sector or State. He expressed confidence that the deliberations at India International Water Week-2026 would generate innovative technological, policy, socio-economic and environmental approaches for climate-resilient and integrated water management.
On the occasion, the Vice-President also launched the Sustainable Urban River Management (SURM) Framework and AI/ML-driven Integrated Reservoir Sediment Management, marking important steps towards technology-enabled and climate-resilient water management.
Union Minister of Jal Shakti C. R. Patil, Ministers of State for Jal Shakti V. Somanna and Raj Bhushan Choudhary were among those present.
