The Hindu Business Line : ‘Private sector can play a role in water supply’

Private sector can complement the role of government agencies in water supply and its management, according to Mr Wilfrid J. Wilkinson, President of Rotary International.

Addressing newspersons here on Monday, Mr Wilkinson stressed on the importance of water as a scarce natural resource and said less than one per cent of it was available for people living on the planet. He said that making water available to people is “primarily” the responsibility of governments.

However, the private sector must reach out and offer its expertise in water management and complement the role of the Government in this regard, he said.

Partnerships

Mr Wilkinson was in Kolkata as the Chief Guest at the Rotary International Water Conference 2007 held here on Monday. ‘Every Drop Counts’ was the theme of the conference.

The Rotary International President cited the instance of the polio eradication programme, where Rotary has partnered with governments for the cause. For 80 per cent of its projects in Gujarat, it has partnered with the State Government. “If we as an organisation can do it, corporate entities too can partner with Governments in areas such as water management,” he said.

Rotary’s role

Earlier, in his address at the conference, Mr Wilkinson spoke at length on Rotary International’s role in water management and its plans to address water scarcity in deficit areas. He talked of Rotary’s initiatives in areas such as education, micro credit and entrepreneurship development, sanitation and low-cost housing and ongoing global initiatives in polio eradication, eye care, etc.

Mr Rajinder Singh, President of Tarun Bharat and winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, said it was necessary for people to realise the importance of water as a scarce natural resource. Community-driven decentralised water resources management and rain water harvesting are the need of the hour, he said.