The National Bureau of Water Use Efficiency on the lines of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) is likely to be in place by the end of this fiscal, a senior advisor to the Water Resources Ministry said.
Once in place, such a bureau will oversee labelling, certification and incentivisation for urban local bodies as well as for industries, such as those manufacturing household water fixtures and appliances, M. Satyanarayana, advisor to the National Water Mission, said at a USAID-CII event on “Promoting water use efficiency across urban sectors to address climate change” here on Wednesday.
He said the proposed bureau would have representatives from the Ministries concerned, industries, experts and civil society and would be headed by a director-general appointed by the Government of India.
The National Water Mission aims to increase water use efficiency by 20 per cent. The per capita water availability in India has depleted from 5,000 cubic metres in 1951 to 1,600 in 2013, Satyanarayana said.
Earlier, Patrick Rousseau, Chairman & Managing Director of Veolia Water (India) Pvt Ltd, whose company is involved in various public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the Indian water sector, such as in Nagpur, called for “social engineering” by industry to make PPPs a success.
He said the biggest challenge for PPPs in India was getting the confidence of the people. “Mere political will is not enough. Many a time there is no support from the same people who took the decision to invite you,” he said, adding that it was vital that those who benefit from a project should endorse it.
Referring to the political flux in India, Rousseau also sought protection against policy changes for private operators in the sector, especially for big contracts.