VISAKHAPATNAM: Most Asian countries would suffer from hunger, despair, epidemics and environmental degradation arising out of water scarcity. At the same time 14 crore people can get water if one cm of water was saved on the net cultivated area (140 m ha), said SK Gupta, professor of Central Soil and Salinity Research Institute and member of the department of Science and Technology (DST) project assessment committee, here Friday at GITAM University. Gupta mentioned that 10 per cent saving of water in agriculture would enhance the share of other sectors (industry, drinking, environmental) by 40 per cent.
He said that the Indian water policy proposes benchmarks for water uses for different purpose, water auditing, incentives for water recycle and reuse, ecological water requirement, climate change scenario, mapping of aquifers, stakeholders participation and aims to bring equality between rural and urban supplies.
The professor stressed the need for new technologies for waste water management and new irrigation methods to conserve water in the country. The department of Science and Technology was actively engaged in Water Technology Initiative (WTI) to promote national and collaborative developmental research to address prevalent and emerging water challenges. GITAM University vice-chancellor G Subrahmanyam said that the University was establishing a water quality management unit on the campus and encouraging the faculty to do research projects to help society.