Water conservation need of the hour: AP official

Hyderabad, Mar 22 (UNI) Andhra Prades Irrigation and Command Area Development Secretary Sutirtha Bhattacharya today underlined the need for conservation of water to meet the future needs of drinking water.

Addressing a gathering at the 'World Water Day and Water Resources Day' organised by the Krishna and Godavari Basin Organisations of the Central Water Commission here, he said every one has to concentrate on drinking water and its conservation.

Mr Bhattacharya said a trained and motivated manpower, being the backbone of any development activity, was the need for the water resources sector, too. Integrated development and management of water resources should be based on the treatment of water, as an integral part of the eco-system and a natural resource, whose quality and quantity determines the nature of its utilisation, he added.

He said the water use, in turn, had its impact on water quality and, therefore, utilisation of water had to be managed in a manner as not to contribute to the deterioration of water quality. The challenge in water sector was, therefore, to simultaneously take care of the needs of development and environmental health and thereby ensure the sustainability of development.

Former Chief Engineer of Central Water Commission Y V Dharma Rao said the aim of world water day was to make efforts towards raising awareness of the general public and bringing about a positive change in the public opinion, which in turn influences policy-makers.

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