India International Water week: CR Paatil stresses public role in climate-resilient water management
New Delhi, Sep 25 (IANS) The 9th India International Water Week (IIWW) 2026 concluded on Friday at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, with Union Minister of Jal Shakti C R Paatil stressing people’s participation in water conservation, taking science and technology to the ground, and strengthening international and institutional cooperation.
Held from September 22-25 under the theme “Climate Resilient Water Management”, the deliberations brought together policymakers, government officials, international organisations, development partners, researchers, academia, industry, water-sector practitioners, innovators and young professionals to discuss emerging challenges and solutions for water security.
Ministers of State graced the valedictory session: Jal Shakti V. Somanna and Raj Bhushan Choudhary, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation; Ashok K. K. Meena, Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation; Archana Varma, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga; Rajeev Kumar Mital, AS and MD, NJJM, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation; Kamal Kishore Soan, Chairman, Central Water Commission; Anupam Prasad, Director General, National Water Development Agency; and Baleshwar Thakur.
Highlighting the Jal Jeevan Mission’s impact since its launch in 2019, he said expanded access to household tap water has improved health, dignity, and quality of life in rural communities, while reducing the time and effort women spend fetching water.
Referring to a WHO assessment, he said that improved access to safe drinking water under the Mission has the potential to prevent a significant number of deaths among children and reduce the health burden associated with unsafe water.
He stressed that the next phase of JJM must focus on ensuring adequate, regular, safe and sustainable drinking water services, with community participation, source sustainability and appropriate technology central to sustaining these gains.
Addressing the Valedictory Session, Ashok K. K. Meena, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), emphasised that climate resilience begins with water resilience.
He highlighted the hydrological cycle as a global common good and described it as nature’s most successful water management system.
He stressed the collective responsibility to maintain this cycle and manage water in harmony with nature, focusing on conserving, reusing, and replenishing every drop of water to strengthen community resilience in the face of a changing climate.
He further underscored that the long-term success of water programmes would depend on translating the knowledge and solutions discussed at IIWW into implementation and measurable outcomes on the ground.
–IANS
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