Strategic Analysis of Demand Side Management and Its Implications for Water Security in India

Abstract

newline Water is an Elixir of Life! It is essential for both economic and non-economic activities to flourish in this rapidly changing global economy. It is an integral part of the ecosystem that makes life possible on this planet Earth. Water also plays a vital role in supporting critical ecosystem services. Despite its significance, freshwater resources are getting increasingly overexploited as evident from the declining per capita global freshwater availability and increasing water pollution. According to the World Economic Forum global risk assessment, water related disasters continue to be among the top five risks facing the world. Climate change is expected to further exacerbate extreme weather events such as floods and droughts. In addition to climate change, population growth, rapid industrialization, urbanization and poor urban planning are increasing the frequency of extreme events. newlineWater insecurity is increasingly becoming one of the biggest environmental challenges of this century next to global climate change. About 600 million people in India alone do not have access to adequate and reliable water services. There are also predictions that the third word war could be over access to water resources leading to potential water conflicts and social unrest. Despite the threat posed by the global water crisis, sustainable management of water resources are often side-lined and are given inadequate attention in the global policy discourse. However, with frequent and recurrent incidences of droughts and floods and with the adoption of the global goals, there is a growing consensus among the international development community that the global water crisis is primarily a result of poor governance and inefficient institutional framework. The global water sector is plagued by lack of political will to change the status quo.