Will learn water conservation from Israel: Uma Bharati

NEW DELHI: "We have to learn a lot from Israel...hum Israel ko apna guru banayenge (we'll make Israel our teacher) in the field of water conservation," said water resources minister Uma Bharati on Saturday while announcing the government's plan to observe 'India Water Week' from April 4 to 8, where Israel will be the country partner.

The idea of water week, which is being organized in the backdrop of an acute water crisis in Latur in Maharashtra, is to discuss all issues relating to water conservation and water use efficiency in domestic, agriculture and industrial sectors.

Referring to the crisis in Latur, one of the worst-hit districts in parched Marathwada, Bharati said that a fact-finding team from the central water commission would visit the place to study the severe water shortage in the region and find ways to tackle the problem.

The minister noted that the Latur crisis showed how the depleting ground water sources has become a problem in many parts of the country, including Haryana and Punjab, due to unscientific and indiscriminate use of the limited resources.

"Israel which has long experience and expertise in managing its water resources can help us a lot," said Bharati.

Explaining how Israel could be a partner in promoting water conservation, Israel's ambassador to India Daniel Carmon said after defence and agriculture, water would be the next big collaboration between the two countries.

Noting that Israel had always faced an acute water shortage and as a result the country had become "development laboratory” in the filed of water technology, Carmon highlighted that his country has experience in confronting those challenges and both India and Israel can together take up such challenge here as well the way they had partnered in the field of defence and agriculture and "passed the tests together".

Israel's agriculture minister Uri Ariel will visit New Delhi to participate in the 'India Water Week' where the country will organize various exhibitions, showcasing technologies available for improving efficiencies.

Announcing participation of Israel, the Ambassador said the events will include a number of dedicated seminars, lectures by leading Israeli experts in the field of water and agriculture and many more activities throughout the next week.

Many states including Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Telangana are the partner states for organizing the 'India Water Week’.

Bharti said the success stories of these states in conserving water would be shared during the various events during the water week.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley will be the chief guest at the inaugural function of the 'India Water Week’ on April 4 while the President Pranab Mukherjee would be the chief guest at its valedictory function on April 8.