New Delhi, March 17 Water security, gender equality, and community participation are essential for India to achieve sustainable development and its vision for 2047, policymakers and experts said at a national seminar held here ahead of World Water Day.
The seminar on "Water, Gender, and Climate," organized at the South Asia Foreign Correspondents' Club, brought together senior government officials, scientists, and diplomats, who highlighted the growing water stress, declining per capita availability, and the disproportionate burden on women.
Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Raj Bhushan Choudhary, stated that access to water is directly linked to women's empowerment.
"Water security and gender equality are not separate government initiatives; they are a fundamental commitment. The Jal Jeevan Mission has already connected over 15 crore rural households to tap water, saving 5.5 crore hours of women's time every day. This is not just a statistic; it is about liberation," he said.
"India cannot be built on dry land. Water security is the foundation for everything we are building for 2047," he added.
Highlighting the progress under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), he said that when the scheme began in 2019, only around 17 per cent of rural households had tap water. "Today, over 85 per cent are connected. This is not just about infrastructure; it is a transformation in the quality of life," he added.
Referring to global concerns over water, Choudhary said, "I am reminded of the words of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who warned that conflicts in the future may be over water.”
Today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has taken decisive steps towards water security, sustainability, and self-reliance through programs like the JJM, Jal Shakti Abhiyan, and Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari, he said.
NITI Aayog member V K Saraswat warned that India is moving from a water-stressed to a water-scarce nation if urgent measures are not taken.
"In 1951, India's per capita water availability was around 5,177 cubic meters per year. Today, it has declined to less than 1,300 cubic meters, meaning we are already a water-stressed nation," Saraswat said.
"Around 600 million people in India face high to extreme water stress. Nearly 75 per cent of households do not have drinking water on their premises, and about 84 per cent of rural households lack a piped water supply. At the same time, nearly 70 per cent of water is contaminated," he added.
Highlighting the gender dimension, he said that water stress disproportionately impacts women, who bear the brunt of collecting water.
He said that when women are effectively involved in water governance, the results are very good, and the sustainability of water systems improves.
Saraswat also noted the role of technology, saying that it remains a critical component in addressing water challenges. Technology must be leveraged for water management, conservation, monitoring, and distribution, he said.
The NITI Aayog member pointed to solutions such as IoT-based water sensors, satellite-based remote sensing, artificial intelligence-driven hydrological modelling, and smart metering as key tools to improve efficiency.
He also underlined the importance of aquifer mapping, river basin management, and watershed planning, supported by GIS-based programs, for sustainable water resource management.
G Satheesh Reddy, Former Chairman, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), stressed the urgency of achieving SDG 6, "Water and Sanitation for All by 2030”.
Rajendra Singh, "Waterman of India" and Magsaysay Awardee, shared his experiences on how water scarcity has deeply affected communities.
Joint Secretary, NITI Aayog, Kamala Kant Tripathy, stressed that women must be central to water governance. "In households without water access, it is the women and girls who bear the burden. They lose education, income opportunities, and face health risks," he said.
"We need to focus on the 3Ms – Maintenance, Management, and Monitoring – with strong participation of women at every level," he added.
Rajya Sabha MP K R Suresh Reddy called for strong political will to address the water crisis. "Where there is a will, there is water. Telangana's transformation shows how leadership and execution can turn a drought-prone region into a water-secure one," he said.
He referred to initiatives such as Mission Kakatiya and large-scale irrigation projects that restored thousands of water bodies and expanded irrigation coverage.
M Karunakar Reddy, Founder, Igniting Minds Organisation and Walk for Water Foundation, said, "As a child, I used to walk kilometres with my mother and sister to fetch water. That pain became my mission to make water accessible and affordable for the poorest."
"For 5,000 years, our civilization worshipped rivers, built johads and stepwells, and gave communities the power to govern their water, but today we stand at a crossroads, 1,486 cubic metres per capita, falling every decade," Reddy said.
He said this crisis is not natural, but a governance failure, and these failures can be corrected, if the will exists.