Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Synergise to Save Water, Life and Planet: Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

FLO, Roundtable ‘Jalasya Rakshanam’ with Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Hon. Jal Shakti Minister,

Mumbai, 10 November 2020: “Our country constitutes about 18% of the world’s population but when it comes to clean and usable water only 4% available to us” said Hon’ble Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, during a roundtable: Jalasya Rakshanam organized by FLO, the Women’s wing of FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce)

“In the past 50 years the per capita water availability of our nation has significantly dropped from 5500 cubic meters per person per annum to 1500 cubic meters per person per annum, however the cause behind this hasn’t been the decrease in the supply of water as the amount received naturally remains the same but the increase in population is a huge reason behind this fall in the per capita availability of water. If the situation persists as it is right now it can be a huge cause of concern for our nation”.

As a citizen it is our responsibility to conserve water, use it efficiently & wisely and to reuse and recycle for proper utilization”, Hon’ble Minister further said

Over 844 million people in the world lack access to the basic clean & drinking water globally. In rural areas women and girls spend 200 million hours and walk average of 6 km every day for carrying water for their basic needs. Half a billion people in the world suffer from severe water scarcity, mere 0.014 % of water on earth is fresh and easily accessible, 97% is saline & the remaining water cannot be accessed easily

Jahnabi Phookan, President, FLO “Saving water should come naturally as response to the challenges arising, access to water is a basic human right and essential for achieving gender equality, sustainable development and poverty alleviation. Women and water are linked together in more than one way. We need to create a robust framework to include more women in decision making so that the interest of women is adequately represented”.

“For sustained economic growth water needs to be managed optimally & efficiently as water has a clear linkage with economic development, Environmental Development, & social development”, She further added

The session was moderated by day chair Usharani Manne, ChairpersonHyderabad Chapter.

About FICCI FLO

FLO is the women wing of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI). FLO was established in 1983, as a division of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) which is the apex body of industry and commerce in India. FLO has been promoting entrepreneurship and professional excellence among women through workshops, seminars, conferences, training and capacity building programmers, etc. As an All India Organisation for women, FLO has 17 Chapters pan India - Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Kanpur, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Northeast, Pune, Amritsar, Northeast & Uttarakhand, with its Head Office in New Delhi.  Its members comprise entrepreneurs, professionals, and Corporate Executives.

No comments: