As Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the UN said, “safe drinking water and basic sanitation are intrinsic to human survival, well-being and dignity.” He further stated that, “by 2025, an estimated 2.8 billion people will live in countries facing water stress or water scarcity.”
According to the UN statistics over 100 million Indians do not have access to improved sources of drinking water. Although the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh acknowledges that there has been progress in this area the number of people without access is actually increasing. He also “warned of severe water shortage in the next few decades,” To address these issues he calls for collective action between the Government, NGOs and the Civil Society.
The water problems facing the Andaman Islands are unique in many ways. It receives 3000mm of rainfall annually but has a four month long dry season. Even thought there is an over abundance of rainfall during the monsoons the subsoil formation does not allow much of this water to penetrate the surface and create aquifers. Another issue is water rights. Forest dwellers receive education and health services but are neglected when it comes to the issue of drinking water. This has been identified as one of the major concerns for the islands by a Regional Seminar held in Port Blair on March 6, 2008. Forest dwellers are not the only ones who suffer. A Zilla Parishad case study indicates that Diglipur is provided with only half the amount of water needed. This is not a unique problem to Diglipur but can be seen all over the Islands including in the capital, Port Blair.
This seminar will be an opportunity to look at alternative models of water harnessing, and success stories from other Islands with similar geophysical situations. It will be also be a time to network between all those working on water issues. The purpose this seminar is to initiate the discussion at various levels and thus seek to address the issues related to drinking water.
