Experts deliberated on innovations for producing potable drinking water, including application of technologies like desalination and Heli-borne methods, at the Center-State Science Conclave on September 11, 2022.
“Effective and pragmatic approach to map water availability, allocation and usage through technological interventions through coordinated and concerted approach involving all stakeholders, including academia and industry can help reducing consumption and sustainable usage of water,” said Director General CSIR Dr N Kalaiselvi.
“Technologies developed by Public R& D labs of CSIR, ICAR and DST are to be judicially adopted for such purpose, at state levels,” she added.
Dr S K Chaudhari, DDG, Natural Resource Management, ICAR, emphasized on the need for efficient use of water for agriculture using modern irrigation techniques and also on the use of desalination-related alternative technologies at the panel on water at the conclave. “Better groundwater mapping and utilisation is the need of the hour,” he added.
Dr Virendra Tiwari, Director, CSIR-NGRI, shared insights about better groundwater management and the application of data-driven models for water sourcing and storage models.
“Recent climatic changes such as an increase in the intensity of rainfall versus a decrease in the frequency of rainfall and decreasing per capita water availability need to be factored in for planning of water storage and utilization,” Dr. K P Sudheer, Principal Secretary, Government of Kerala, advocated.
Dr. Puyam Sobhindro Singh, Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR-CSMCRI, discussed various strategies to address sustainable development goal 6 (SDG 6), like reuse of seawater and brackish water in various proportions for different purposes.
Dr Neelima Alam, Scientist, Department of Science and Technology, elaborated on DST’s collaboration with Science and Technology Councils of many States in promoting water technologies such as desalination as well as for water-related and their implementation.
The conclave organised by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, jointly with the Government of Gujarat at Science City, Ahmedabad, served as a platform for discussing ways to judicially adopt available technologies for pragmatic and sustainable water consumption.
