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When will a safe water supply be brought to every citizen of the state of India? How can this best be done?
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Medha Patkar
Founder of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, a movement that opposes the construction of mega-dams on the Narmada River.
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S.K. Mohapatra
Managing Director of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd, the state corporation charged with building the Sardar Sarovar dam.
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While every political party has promised this in their election manifestos over the years, this is not in sight. Rainwater harvesting and decentralized water management is yet to get the due priority, political support, and budget allocation. As a result, the large dams are still looked at for all water needs and have proven to be a mirage to many with the estimated water benefits, with projects not getting completed and financial non-viability coming in along with skewed distribution [of water]. The only way to get potable, safe drinking water is to give maximum emphasis to local water harvesting, starting with the smallest unit, the watershed, and coming to the macro one; that is, the river basin. It requires a change in policy in the most participatory manner. No amount of privatization and global capital investment and huge and gigantic projects like inter-linking projects will solve the problem. It will only worsen the situation.
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As far as Gujarat is concerned, all the families are likely to receive safe drinking water by the year 2007. The government has started commissioning a network of pipelines, pumping stations, and treatment plants to take water from Narmada and other sources to every village and town of Gujarat.
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The views expressed in this debate are solely those of the participants.
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