“Socho Toh Kyun Hai Aaj, Sehma Sehma Paani…” this kids water anthem has brought water conservation issue at the forefront of children imagination. Not just now, even India’s ancient scriptures, texts and stories are filled with tales and proofs of how rivers were considered sacred, the most revered. So much so, that even Lord Krishna, in his impartations to Arjuna during the war of Mahabharatha, said, ‘I am the Ganges among rivers’ (Chapter 10 Verse 31 – पवन: पवतामस्मि राम: शस्त्रभृतामहम् | झषाणां मकरश्चास्मि स्रोतसामस्मि जाह्नवी).

Saving every drop of water becomes even more imperative for a country like India, which houses more than 18% of the world’s population, but has got only 4% of world’s renewable water resources. The current water requirement is estimated to be around 1,100 billion cubic meters per year. To meet this high requirement, the government, through various means and measures, has been trying to improve condition of water bodies and better treatment systems. In June 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had written to all Sarpanchs across the country stressing on importance of water conservation and harvesting and urged them to adopt all appropriate measures to make water conservation a mass movement.

For transferring water from surplus basins to deficit basins/areas, the Government of India formulated a National Perspective Plan (NPP) of interlinking of rivers. National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has identified 30 links for preparation of Feasibility Reports/ Detailed Project Reports under Inter-linking of Rivers Project. Atal Bhujal Yojana, a central sector scheme, is also being implemented in 8,774 gram panchayats of 81 districts of seven States namely Haryana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The focus of the scheme is on community participation for sustainable ground water management. Provisions have been made for source recharging too like dedicated bore well recharge structures, rain water recharge, rejuvenation of existing water bodies, etc., in convergence with other schemes such as MGNREGS, Integrated Watershed Management Programme, 15th Finance Commission tied grants to RLBs/ PRIs, State schemes, CSR funds, and others. The government also launched the AMRUT 2.0 initiative in 2021 which focuses on making specified cities water secure through recycle/ reuse of treated sewage, rejuvenation of water bodies and water conservation.

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) is another impactful initiative which aims to enhance physical access of water on farm and for expanding cultivable area under assured irrigation, improve on-farm water use efficiency, and introducing sustainable water conservation practices, etc. The Command Area Development & Water Management (CADWM) Programme and ‘Per Drop More Crop’ component under the PMKSY scheme and the National Water Mission’s ‘Sahi Fasal’ campaign have also brought in positive farm results and better agricultural growth. The Jal Jeevan mission is up and running to make provision of potable tap water supply to every rural household of the country at the service level of 55 litre per capita per day by 2024. This was followed by the recent launch of the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain’ campaign to endorse the practice of rainwater harvesting. The Centre has also requested all States/UTs to set up Jal Shakti Kendra in every district which shall provide all rain related information at one place.

One of the three key goals identified by the government during the budget 2022 is Promoting digital economy & fintech, technology-enabled development, energy transition, and climate action. To protect the interests of future generations and prepare the major polluting industries for green operational levels, achieving these tech and sustainability goals is vital.

Producing top soil, balanced and clean air, well-recharged aquifers etc are gifts of nature that are not easy to produce using man-made technologies, surely not in the short span of time they are needed for a sustainable future. The solution is mindfulness of damages, reducing externalities and capturing & restoring at the source. Top soil storage and refilling open cast mines to sewage treatment are already in vogue. Efforts towards air pollution is collectively termed Circular Carbon Economy(CCE). Latest in CCE is Carbon-capturing, whereby the plants capture carbon at the point of emission itself and using oxidation process traps the carbon dioxide. This way the pollutant becomes reusable in the production of fuels, plastic, soda ash etc. Wherever near by mines, oil wells or other appropriate geological structures are available, this captured carbon is stored deep inside earth’s surface.

To accelerate Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies, India’s DST has established a national programme on CO2 storage research and, in August 2020, made a call for proposals to support CCS research, development, pilot and demonstration projects. CCS technology is meant to play an essential role in meeting net-zero targets, including as one of few solutions to tackle emissions from heavy industry.

Globally, power and industry account for about 50% of all greenhouse gas emissions. With the debate rounding on Net Zero Emissions and targets being set, it is vital to identify and adopt the right balance of portfolio of emission curtailment technologies. The words in the spotlight are – Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage – induced with the aim to reduce carbon emission either by storing it or reusing it. Aligning with this, two National Centres of Excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilization are being established in India. With the support of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), these two centres namely, NCoE-CCU (National Centre of Excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilization) is established at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Bombay) and NCCCU ( National Centre in Carbon Capture and Utilization ) at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) Bengaluru.

CCU is among such key pathways to reduce emissions while continuing to develop sustainably at an unprecedented pace. CCU aligns with 5 of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), namely, climate action; clean energy, industry, innovation, and infrastructure; responsible consumption and production; and partnerships to achieve the goals.