Centre readying national water policy: Salman Khurshid

The Union minister of water resources, Salman Khurshid, on Wednesday said his ministry is preparing a comprehensive national water policy that will deal with all aspects of development and water conservation.

Khurshid was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the foundation stone-laying ceremony for a hostel of the National Water Academy in Khadakwasla.

Khurshid said, “The national water policy will be ready by 2012 and all suggestions made by environmentalists and social activists on the issue will be considered.”

“We have to attain a balance between development and water conservation. So, we will try for a consensus across the country while preparing the national water policy, which will address all the issues raised by environmentalists,” he said.

Speaking about the ambitious river linking project, Khurshid said, “There is a need for rearrangement of purpose and consensus on the river basin linking project. We can solve the issue of river linking in our county, where the rivers flow through the plains. But where they flow across countries, the ministry of external affairs needs to chip in to solve the issue.”