“Like Singapore, Mumbai should try and become self-sufficient in water”, said Mr. Suresh Prabhu, a former minister in the Government of India. Speaking at the concluding session of the Mumbai Water Conclave organized by Mumbai First to mark World Water Day, Mr. Prabhu said that increasing demands for water from the surrounding areas from where the water is sourced and increasing urbanization have the potential to create a conflict and that cities like Mumbai should prepare in advance for it.
The day-long conclave deliberated issues such are the need for Mumbai to conserve water, approaches to conserve and recycle water, technologies available to do so, and the experience on the ground by the ones who are making it happen in reality. There were also suggestions about the right pricing of water so as it acts as a disincentive against wasting it. Creating a market for wastewater for non-potable purposes was another suggestion that came out of the Conclave.
Mumbai first also signed two MOUs on this occasion with NAREDCO and CREDAI to collaborate in implementing the new ideas in the MMR region.
The conclave was attended by experts in the areas of water conservation from the World Bank, Water Resources Authority of Maharashtra, Netherlands Government, MCGM, MMRDA, Gates Foundation, and NGOs.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Narinder Nayar, Chairman, Mumbai First urged all stakeholders to come together to help Mumbai become an example in water management.
