President Shri Ram Nath Kovind will inaugurate India Water Week – 2017 on October 10, 2017 in New Delhi in the presence of Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari and Union Ministers of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal and Shri Dr. Satya Pal Singh.  About 1500 delegates from India and 13 other countries will attend the five day international event. The theme of India Water Week – 2017 is “Water and Energy for Inclusive Growth”.

The 5^th edition of India Water Week (IWW) will be celebrated with a multi disciplinary conference and a concurrently running exhibition enriching the theme and showcasing the technologies and solutions available for the areas under deliberation of the meet.  The event will have the following major components:

• Water, Food and Energy Security – Essential requirement for sustainable development.
• Water for inclusive Growth
• Sustainable energy development – Key for all round economic growth.
• Water and Society

            A large group of international and national persons of eminence are being invited for sharing their experiences in the field of Water and Power Management, Technical and Sociological interventions for achieving water and energy security in their individual areas and manage the assets created on a participatory basis.  In addition, there will be special sessions involving dignitaries, delegates, politicians, experts from the fields related to the event.  Expert professional bodies and think tanks are invited to put up Side Events addressing specific issues under the theme.

State Governments of Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh have confirmed their participation as sponsor. Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Department of Science and Technology, Damodar Valley Corporation from Central Government Ministries/Organisations/Departments have also confirmed their participation as sponsor.

The Business to Business Exhibition “India Water Expo 2017” co-located with the conference will also be organized from 11 to 14 October, 2017 to focus on the latest technologies providing solutions to the water management issues.

  Water Resources are the prime input to the growth and prosperity of the nation.  Keeping in view the vital role of water in all aspects of life and also in assuring the development of economy, the Ministry of Water Resources has been observing “World Water Day” on the national level. During the year 2011, Ministry of Water Resources decided that the national level of celebrations be transformed to international level on the lines of the events taking place at Singapore and Stockholm.

  Water and energy are essential needs  in day to day life. At the same time, these are most important inputs for any efforts for social upliftment and economic growth of the country.  With the increasing demand by the growing population and improvement in economic status, the demands on the available resources are increasing and we have to constantly strive towards stretching the same water to satisfy larger needs. As a result, there is an urgency to conserve and utilize the limited availability of water resources in an optimum and efficient manner.  As a community resources, water needs to be managed and deployed in an equitable manner. The effective and efficient water management is possible through better understanding of issues, mutual cooperation among all stakeholders and adoption of comprehensive and integrated approach.

 In order to establish an international event focused on water resources of India, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India has been organising India Water Week since 2012 as an annual international event. Four editions of India Water Week have been organised so far in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016. 

 The recommendations/action points emerged during earlier events of India Water Week have been sent to all concerned Ministries of Central Government as well as to all State Governments for their appropriate implementation.

 It is planned to make the IWW-2017 event more participatory by involving farmers and Water User Association (WUA), NGOs, Experts and other stakeholders. The Inaugural function will be followed by Plenary Session.  It is proposed to have a presentation of theme paper, presentation by Foreign Partner European Union, Platinum Sponsor Netherlands and presentations by invited speakers.  Also World Water Forum will make small presentation on forthcoming 8^th World Water Forum to be held in Brazil in March, 2018.

Samir/jk