Content :
- Water management in India needs a new course
- Maintaining India’s progress in food safety standards
Water management in India needs a new course
Global Context and Significance
- World Water Day 2025 Theme: ‘Glacier Preservation’ emphasizes the role of glaciers in water security and ecosystem stability.
- UN Declarations: 2025 marks the International Year of Glacier Preservation and launch of the ‘Decade of Action on Cryospheric Science’ (2025–34).
- UN Water Report 2025: Stresses the need to protect ‘mountain water towers’—alpine glaciers critical to downstream water supply.
- Ocean-Climate Link: Rising sea levels, coastal pollution, and marine biodiversity loss spotlight the interconnection between land and marine ecosystems.
Relevance : GS 3 (Environment & Ecology)
Practice Question: “India’s water management is deeply fragmented, overlooking the critical land-to-ocean linkages. Critically examine the need for adopting a Source-to-Sea (S2S) approach in India’s water governance framework.”(15 marks, 250 words)
Why Current Water Management Fails
- Fragmented Approach: Water bodies are managed in isolation—rivers, lakes, aquifers, coasts—without accounting for their interdependence.
- Human-Induced Disruptions: Dams, diversions, pollution, and over-extraction alter the natural hydrological cycle.
- Missed Connections: Policies fail to integrate upstream (glaciers/rivers) and downstream (estuaries/oceans) impacts—critical for sustainability.
Need for Source-to-Sea (S2S) Approach
- What is S2S? An integrated framework linking land, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems as one continuum.
- Global Recognition: Introduced via the Manila Declaration (2012), adopted by 65 countries, and supported by Stockholm International Water Institute.
- Scientific Basis: Encourages overcoming traditional water silos and adopts socio-ecological system analysis for policy-making.
- Implementation Gaps: Though globally endorsed, S2S remains peripheral in Indian water policy discussions.
India’s Water Management Crisis
- Severe Water Stress: NITI Aayog (2018) flagged 600 million people at risk; GDP losses of up to 6%.
- Polluted Water Bodies: CPCB (2022) identified 311 polluted stretches in 30 states/UTs.
- Groundwater Depletion: 60.5% of extractable resources used; some states exceed 100% exploitation (e.g., Punjab, Haryana).
- Solid Waste Mismanagement: Only 53% of 1.7 lakh tonnes/day treated—rest contaminates water bodies.
- Governance Fragmentation: Rivers span multiple states; no unified authority; complex jurisdictional overlap.
Governance and Policy Challenges
- Multi-Tier Governance Complexity:
- Village/Panchayat → Local commons
- State governments → National commons
- Central govt → Global commitments
- Lack of Nested Coordination: Absence of unified governance leads to disjointed planning and poor water outcomes.
- Policy Timeline:
- 1987: First National Water Policy.
- 2015–2019: Committees formed to restructure water governance, but limited reform implementation.
- States: Some have individual water policies, but lack convergence with national goals.
Emerging S2S Case Studies in India
- Delhi Waterbodies: Nutrient management initiative under S2S platform.
- Indo-Gangetic Basin: Proposed study under S2S Future Programme on human settlement-water landscape linkages.
- Opportunity: These case studies can become models for broader adoption of the S2S approach.
Way Forward
- Adopt S2S Approach: Integrate freshwater, coastal, and marine SDG targets (SDG 6.5 & 14.1).
- Strengthen Stakeholder Engagement: Bridge gaps between science, policy, and on-ground execution.
- Innovative Interventions: Encourage multi-disciplinary, transboundary, and science-backed solutions for water resilience.
- Policy Attention Required: National Water Policy revisions must embed S2S principles to ensure long-term water security.
Maintaining India’s progress in food safety standards
Evolution of Food Safety Framework in India
- Initially governed by Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954, focused narrowly on adulteration.
- Treated all contaminants equally, ignoring context like quantity or source (e.g., pesticide vs. natural toxins).
- Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 was a turning point — established FSSAI, introduced a science- and risk-based approach.
- Adopted Codex Alimentarius Commission practices, including:
- Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs)
- Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) levels
- Standards for food additives and contaminants
Relevance : GS 2(Governance)
Practice Question : “India has made significant progress in establishing science-based food safety standards through institutions like FSSAI. However, challenges like lack of localized data, legacy regulations, and ineffective risk communication remain. Critically examine these challenges and suggest measures to strengthen India’s food safety governance.” (250 words)
Key Challenges and Gaps
- Lack of India-specific data:
- Toxicological studies and exposure estimates rely on foreign data.
- Total Diet Study (TDS) — which helps assess cumulative exposure to contaminants — is absent.
- Risk communication issues:
- Public often misunderstands scientific terms like ppm or ppb.
- Confusion arises when standards (e.g., pesticide MRLs) are revised for scientific practicality.
- Legacy regulatory problems:
- Example: MSG (monosodium glutamate) regulation still enforces outdated warnings despite global consensus on safety.
- Leads to consumer mistrust, despite MSG’s chemical similarity to naturally occurring glutamates in food and even breast milk.
Need for Strengthening Scientific Rigor
- Invest in local toxicological studies and implement comprehensive Total Diet Studies.
- Update legacy laws and misleading labels to reflect scientific consensus (e.g., on MSG).
- Improve risk communication:
- Simplify technical data
- Replace fear-inducing labels with evidence-based messages
- Build capacity of regulators and assessors with continuous scientific training.
- Ensure transparency and regular review of safety standards to reflect evolving science.
Public Engagement and Trust Building
- Regulatory bodies must balance scientific decision-making with public perception.
- Increase consumer education to avoid panic or misinformation.
- Strengthen stakeholder engagement (industry, consumers, scientists).
- Uphold science-based governance to protect health and promote informed food choices.
Broader Relevance
- Aligns with SDG 3 (Health) and SDG 12 (Sustainable Consumption).
- Supports public health, trade compliance, and consumer confidence.
- Reinforces India’s position in global food systems and export credibility.
