NEW DELHI: India and the European Union (EU) agreed to form trilateral cooperation with East Africa to manage water challenges in the Eastern Africa region. The trilateral forum will cooperate in managing river basin management, foster innovation and technology transfer in managing water bodies such as Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika.
During the 8th India Water Week in New Delhi, the India-EU Water Partnership (IEWP) which was established in 2016 expressed commitment to advance cooperation in river basin management, innovation, and technology transfer while promoting sustainable investments.
Under IEWP, the EU and India are collaborating on river management on Tapi and Ramganga River Basins.
Under Phase III, the partnership will extend its efforts to other key basins like the Brahmaputra. Both regions have co-jointly funded 7 research and innovation water projects with €37.4 million (EU €23.4 M + India €14 M), bringing together 743 participants from the EU and India.
These projects focus on drinking water purification, wastewater treatment, and real-time monitoring and control systems, and the IEWP will further provide support for market uptake of these cutting-edge water technologies in India.
Further, both parties agreed to form a forum to explore trilateral collaboration between East Africa, India and the EU, to address challenges in East Africa’s water bodies such as Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika, leveraging the combined strength of India and the EU.
The Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Dr Raj Bhushan Choudhary lauded the India-EU partnership’s accomplishments.
“The 6th EU-India Water Forum serves as a key platform for discussing water sector challenges, sharing best practices, and enhancing business and research opportunities,” said Choudhary.
“As India and the EU continue to advance their cooperation in water management, this forum reaffirms their commitment to achieving sustainable water resource management for future generations,” he further said.
Besides Choudhary, Secretary (Jal Shakti), Debashree Mukherjee, Chairman, Central Water Commission, Kushvinder Vohra, and Mr. Hervé Delphin, EU Ambassador to India reaffirmed their shared commitment to water cooperation during the plenary session.