World Water Day 2025 and Glacier Preservation
The theme for World Water Day 2025 is ‘Glacier Preservation’, coinciding with the UN's declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. This marks the start of a ‘Decade of Action on Cryospheric Science’ (2025-34), emphasizing the importance of glaciers and mountain waters in sustainable development.
United Nations World Water Development Report 2025
- Focuses on ‘Mountain and Glaciers – Water Towers’.
- Highlights the impact of the changing cryosphere on downstream water resources.
United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)
The vision: ‘Science we need for the ocean we want’ focusing on issues like:
- Marine pollution and coastal hazards.
- Rising sea temperatures and loss of biodiversity.
Water Management Challenges
Human activities impact water systems at upstream and downstream levels due to practices like damming, water diversion, and pollution. This disrupts the natural hydrological cycle and affects coastal and marine environments.
Source to Sea (S2S) Approach
The Source to Sea (S2S) approach was proposed in the Manila Declaration (2012) to integrate land, freshwater, and marine management. Key initiatives include:
- The Action Platform for Source-to-Sea Management by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) launched in 2014.
- Aims to improve cooperation among stakeholders and enhance international collaboration.
Challenges in India
India faces issues like spatial heterogeneity in water availability, pollution, and climate change. Key statistics include:
- 600 million people affected by water stress could lead to a 6% GDP loss.
- The Aquaduct Water Risk Atlas categorizes India as facing extreme water stress.
- Pollution identified in 311 river stretches across 30 States/UTs.
Water Governance in India
India’s water management is hindered by fragmented governance across different political jurisdictions. Efforts to streamline this include:
- Restructuring Central Water governance bodies into a National Water Commission.
- State-specific water policies.
Path Forward with S2S Approach
Suggested initiatives include:
- Nutrient management of Delhi waterbodies under the S2S platform.
- Examining human settlement dynamics in the Indo-Gangetic basin.
There is a need to bridge gaps between science, policy, and execution to achieve integrated water resource management and address land-based activities.
