Planned water storage does not mean big hydro reservoirs, but rehabilitated irrigation tanks, and localized mini rural schemes, says Team leader/WMI.!

Planned water storage might still solve impending climate change disasters says two experts
March 5, 2011, 7:01 pm


Text by Steve A. Morrell



Planned water storage does not mean big hydro reservoirs, but rehabilitated irrigation tanks, and localized mini rural schemes, says Team leader, Water Availability and Access International Water Management Institute, Dr. Vladimir Smakhtin. Rising sea levels and changing monsoon patterns coupled with environmental differences in temperature would have debilitating effect on global ecology, he said in an interview with The Sunday Island. "The effects would not be inconsiderable", he warned..



What could be measured is being done, but as with most scientific data each read–out could see variances subject to new approaches that would emerge, he noted.



In the Indian Sub Continent spatial access to water varies from one region to the other. However, country-scale distribution have identified areas that are well endowed with sufficient precipitation. Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Orissa are areas where water and access are concerned, there is no real problem.



Sri Lanka too is well within these areas of water endowment. However, parts of Pakistan where desert conditions prevail have to distinctly manage available water., Smakhtin explained.



"In this context, Green House mitigation and extreme 4 emission levels have to be urgently addressed and controls be to be put in place".



Emission levels presently being severe is gradually melting the ice cap causing rising sea waters. In Sri Lanka, coastal areas from Jaffna surrounding the entire island would be submerged, he further warned.



More to be concerned would be salt intrusions into the main fresh water ways causing substantial damage to the prevailing eco system, he said.



Visiting Adjunct Professor Mike Muller, said globally there was great variation in water use. African countries are faced with bigger challenges, and should be addressed and discussed.



At the conference on Water at IWMI last week, he said Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan are all present discussing interconnected water problems.



However, one obvious conclusion is that river basins bisecting states should be controlled by the central government and not left to management to each state, he said.



Australia was a good example where about 10 years of discussion broke down in the management of the waters of the Murray- Darling. States through which the river flowed could not agree on a common policy for water distribution where each state claimed priority, he said.



He said in South Africa there was no such problem. This crucial necessity when the subject came to be discussed, common consensus was that river waters be managed by the central Government.



In Europe water availability is not a real problem. More so demand is much smaller. Conversely in South Asia water is intensively used and management in these areas is much more challenging, Muller noted.



Australia is therefore not a good example for water management. What is now necessary is water partnerships to ensure equitable distribution, he suggested.



However, politicians the world over have propelled their own laws and invariably caused one disaster or the other which in the larger picture did not quite solve problems but caused more dissatisfaction, he said.



"The Australian example stands out as an instance of bungling".