DPR on Ken-Betwa river link soon: Prof Soz

New Delhi, Jun 20 (UNI) Union Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz has said the Detailed Project Report for the Ken-Betwa river link scheme is likely to be available soon and a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed shortly.

Participating in the international conference on 'Global Water Solutions: Sharing innovations', here yesterday, Professor Soz said the Centre was working seriously on the river linking project to enhance water availability in the country. Many states including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat had agreed for the linking of rivers.

The minister emphasised the need for using innovative technologies for effective water management because the water availability was no longer unlimited with the rise in the population, the need for water had risen drastically. The newer technologies would help equitable distribution of available resources.

Dr Mark A Shannon, Director of Water CMPWS Centre, United States in his address informed the conference regarding the availablity of low cost solutions like absorbable glass which could virtually separate all petroleum and its byproducts from water and allow the water to be used more than once. There was pressure on food supply because of contaminated water from heavy metals, petroleum byproducts and toxins.

''In West Bengal and Bangladesh over 20 million population suffered from arsenic poisoning,'' he said.

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