BACKGROUND

The water crisis at the global and national levels has opened the eyes of water managers world over to address the challenges in the water sector on a war footing. The problem has become more acute in the context of climate variation and the predicted changes in climate leading to frequent occurrence of hydrologic extremes, deglaciation and sea level rise.

The problems in the water sector are more pronounced in the arid and semi-arid zones. Some of the areas in these zones have already come under either water stress or scarcity. According to the World Bank, areas having water less than 1700 cubic meter per capita is considered to be under water stress, less than 1000 cubic meter per capita to be under water scarcity, and less than 500 cubic meters per capita to be under acute water scarcity. Several of the countries in the world are having large areas under water stress or scarcity. This condition leads to water crisis and disputes culminating in unrest and litigations. In a country like India, there are several water disputes among the federal states, the examples being those of Cauvery and Krishna rivers in Southern India.

It is reported that there has been considerable deterioration in the quality of water in different parts of the globe. The untreated industrial effluents, sewage, excessive use of agrochemicals and lack of sanitation facilities are pointed out as some of the major reasons for water quality deterioration. This problem is all the more relevant in the context of developing countries. For example, a country like India has to still achieve several of the Sustainable Development Goals. There is a great need to improve the sanitation facilities, construct more sewage treatment plants, treat the industrial effluents and restrict the overuse of agrochemicals. India has around 70 million people affected by fluoride and 10 million people affected by arsenic. These figures illustrate the need for better sanitation and water quality standards.

The Dublin Conference held in 1992 had critically analysed the problems arising out of the water crisis and recommended Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) as an ideal solution to overcome the problem. IWRM is a process for sustainable development, allocation and monitoring of water resource use, considering social, economic, environmental and institutional objectives. The key issues to be addressed in the present context are: growing water crisis and need for urgent action, water governance crisis, securing water for people, gender disparities in the sector, and protection of vital ecosystems. The principles of IWRM may be narrated as:

Though several sporadic initiatives have been reported on IWRM, no concerted effort has been made towards capacity building, integrated planning and implementation programmes. The need for reviewing the best practices followed and assessing the initiatives taken up has been recognized. Though there are a few academic exercises initiated by certain institutions, much progress has not been achieved in this direction. It is in this background that the Water Institute of Karunya Deemed University proposes to conduct an International Conference on Integrated Water Resources Management: Prospects and Challenges, at Coimbatore.