President Ram Nath Kovind has said, better and more efficient use of water is a challenge for Indian agriculture and the industry.
Inaugurating India Water Week in New Delhi on Tuesday, he said the issue of water is becoming more critical in view of climate change and related environmental concerns.
Mr. Kovind said, in view of this, there is a need to set new benchmarks in villages and in cities being built.
The President said, currently, 80 per cent of water in the country is used by agriculture and only 15 per cent by the industry.
In coming years, this ratio will change and the total demand for water will also rise. He said, efficiency of water use and reuse has to be built into the blueprint of industrial projects.
Mr. Kovind said, in urban areas, 40 billion litres of waste water is produced every day and it is vital to adopt technology to reduce the toxic content of this water and to deploy it for irrigation and other purposes.
The President also urged for a localised water management approach which should empower village and neighbourhood communities and build their capacity to manage, allocate and value their water resources.
The President said providing safe drinking water to a population spread across six hundred thousand villages and urban areas is not just a project proposal, it is a sacred commitment.
Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Uma Bharti and others were also present on the occasion.
