Terming the current status of water resources in India as an emergency situation, Johan Rockstrom, internationally acclaimed environmentalist and executive director of Stockholm Environment Institute said rainwater harvesting is the need of the hour to preserve water.

Talking to The Indian Express on the sidelines of his lecture on ‘Water Challenges under Rapid Global Environment Change’, arranged by the Embassy of Sweden and Symbiosis International University as a part of ‘Sweden India Nobel Memorial Quiz and Guest Lecture’, he said, “Climate change poses tremendous threat to water resources as there is inconsistency in the rains. We are already witnessing long dry spells in some parts and floods in others in countries like India. Though there is variability in rain pattern, the amount of water has remained almost the same. The need is to tap this available water effectively,” said Rockstrom.

He proposed rainwater harvesting as a viable option as it would also provide fresh water for use. “To meet the demand of its growing population, India will not only have to manage its water resources well, but will also have to see that the quality of water is good, both for drinking as well as agriculture purposes,” he said.

On his take on the river linking project in India, he said though it had some drawbacks as it could pose serious environmental issues, it should be carried forward as there was an emergency situation in India about water resources.

The expert also said expanding irrigation projects would not help in a great way as there is not much potential for irrigation in future. The rivers are drying up and fresh water resources are reducing due to such projects, he said.

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