Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to Inaugurate 7th India Water Impact Summit 2022 Today

Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will inaugurate the 7th India Water Impact Summit (IWIS 2022), in presence of Bishweswar Tudu, Minister of State for Jal Shakti on Thursday. National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and Center for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga) are organising the summit from December 15–17 at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi to encourage the development of water and environmental infrastructure to safeguard rivers and other water bodies in India.

The 7th IWIS will focus on the mapping and convergence of the 5Ps—people, policy, plan, programme, and project—with the topic of 'Restoration and Conservation of Small Rivers in a Large Basin'. Experts from the nation and overseas will explore solutions to safeguard tiny rivers that are in danger of going extinct in huge river basins during this three-day conference.

The summit intends to shed light on potential reasons for divergence and develop a plan to bring about convergence. Like previous IWIS conferences, this one will feature a finance panel that will bring together international financial institutions and investors interested in initiatives for river restoration and protection. It will also give hundreds of technology and innovation firms the chance to introduce their ideas to India and deal with numerous problems and issues relevant to our river basins.
Significant Challenges

A major obstacle to river basin management is the convergence of the five important elements—people, policy, plan, programme, and project. In order to comprehend, elaborate, outline potential causes of divergence, and develop strategy for convergence, the 7th Edition of the India Water Impact Summit has been created. This will be accomplished by compiling the opinions offered at plenary sessions, panel discussions, international forums, and informal conversations through intensive engagement with the most important stakeholders.

An official document released by the ministry says that, "Restoration and Conservation of Small Rivers in a Large Basin, Mapping and Convergence of 5Ps, Lessons from Various River Related Programmes, and Bottlenecks and Course Correction in River Related Programmes are among the plenary sessions of the 7th IWIS. Establishing Current Conditions and Norms for Bio-Physical Status of Healthy Rivers in Different Stretches and Setting the Milestone, Formulation and Execution of River Monitoring Programmes, Information/Data Collation, Utilization and Dissemination Strategy, etc. are some of the thematic sessions. Five main Tracks, including 'Science and Policy', 'Finance and Economics', 'Technology and Innovation', 'International', and 'Implementation Challenges', have been established for the Summit.

Guest Arrivals

The three-day event will include participation from the heads of many organizations involved in water management, conservation, and preservation. At the Summit, river science experts and administrative authorities dealing with water-related issues will share the stage.

D.P. Mathuria, Executive Director (Technical), NMCG, Pankaj Kumar, Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, G. Asok Kumar, Director General of National Mission for Clean Ganga, D. Thara, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Avinash Mishra, Advisor in Niti Ayog, and Rupa Mishra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

On the other hand, Seppo Nurmi from the European Union, Dr. Philipp Ackermann, Germany's ambassador, and Mateja Vodeb Ghosh, Slovenia's ambassador, will also take part in the talks at the Summit as foreign representatives. Professors and researchers from domestic and foreign academic institutions, as well as other environmental and scientific organizations including the World Wildlife Federation and the Central Board of Pollution Control, will also take part in the event.