New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MPs on Monday raised the issue of the escalating drinking water crisis in different parts of the country and demanded immediate interventions such as interlinking of rivers and rainwater harvesting to recharge the groundwater table.
Raising the issue through a Zero Hour mention, Satyanarayan Jatiya (BJP) said parts of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka have traditionally faced water crisis but now the problem has extended to fresh areas.
"There has to be a permanent solution to the drinking water crisis," he said, suggesting five big river interlinking projects need to be taken up on a priority so as to make available excess water of one area to deficit regions.
Ashok Bajpai (BJP) said a NITI Aayog report has stated that there will be a water crisis in parts of the country next year.
While Rewati Raman Singh (SP) said a solution to the water crisis was to be found urgently, Saroj Pandey (BJP) stated that public awareness needs to be created on rainwater harvesting so that impending monsoon rains can be used to recharge the groundwater table.