'Evaluate impact of water policies on women'

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI, DEC. 10. The two-day international seminar on Women and Water today continued its ode to the rural women for going through the drudgery of traversing long distances to fetch water. The Union Agriculture Minister, Mr. Nitish Kumar, in his valedictory remarks said, ``the rural women may eventually show the world how to nurture earth and save the planet.'' In the end it looked as if the load on rural women's head had been made heavier, not lighter.

Fortunately, the seminar recognised ``an urgent need'' to evaluate the impact of current water policies on women and make changes, as necessary, to facilitate women as change agents in the conservation and management of water resources.

Experts and officials observed that ``although women and water have been interwoven as the basic fabric of human development, yet women have never been empowered to make decisions nor her capacity built to manage resources.'' To make up, the seminar recommended initiating gender sensitive strategies to enable women to fully participate in water conservation and management.

The seminar also recognised ``the potential of women'' to identify problems relating to water caused by environmental degradation and implementing programmes. ``Their ingenuity in developing solutions is therefore essential, because so much of their daily time is spent in getting and using water,'' it was noted.

But more importantly, it was suggested that the Central Ground Water Board should take up about 100 target areas ``on a war footing'' in drought-prone and hilly areas for water resources development and management including water harvesting. to create permanent drinking water facilities.

The need for developing strategies for involving women interventions such as awareness campaigns, training and monitoring capacity building was underscored. The Central Ground Water Board could set up a cell for training and education in various aspects of water resources development and management. Gender sensitivity should be cultivated as part of human resource development.

``Women have to be motivated and their capacity built to undertake operation and maintenance of water supply schemes at community level through suitable income generating schemes,'' the seminar observed. But how this would be done was not specified.

It was also recommended that the Central Ground Water Authority, a regulatory body, should empower women voluntary groups and water user associations in regulating ground water development at village and Panchayat level.

``The active participation of women in rain water harvesting and recharging of ground water are important planning options for sustainability of this endangered resource,'' said Mr. Som Pal, member, Planning Commission.

In her valedictory remarks, the Minister of State for Water Resources, Ms. Bijoya Chakravarty, said women as primary stakeholders in the water sector should play an important role in the conservation and management of water resources, rain water harvesting and preventing ground water pollution.

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