Transforming India’s Water Future

 

Subject: 

 Transforming India’s Water Future – A Blueprint for River Interlinking

Dear Shri Amit Shah Ji,

I am writing to extend my heartfelt congratulations on the historic consensus you

 have brokered among six states for the Kishau Dam project. Securing an

 agreement where the Central government assumes 90% of the financial burden

 for the water component is a masterful display of statesmanship and a decisive

 step toward national water security.

This achievement proves that when the Centre provides strong leadership and

 financial framework, the paralysis of inter-state water disputes can be overcome.

 I urge you to now extend this very spirit of cooperation to India’s most critical,

 long-standing challenge: the national Inter-linking of Rivers project. For decades,

 this has remained in limbo; it is time to bring it to fruition to provide a permanent

 solution for flood control and irrigation across the nation.

Ten years ago, in my April 2016 blog, Water Wars?, I argued that the current

 fragmented management of our water resources is unsustainable and risks

 internal conflict. I respectfully reiterate the following imperatives that remain as

 urgent today as they were then:

• Constitutional Reform: 
• Water must be moved from the State List to the Central List. As long as water
•  is a State Subject, narrow regional interests will continue to stifle national
•  infrastructure projects.
• 
  
• National Resource Status: 
• All major rivers and lakes must be declared National Resources. The Centre
•  should hold the authority to allocate water and lead project execution, such as
•  river interlinking, without requiring the veto-power of individual states.
• 
  
• Infrastructure Finance: 
• We must leverage innovative financing, including utilizing funds from
•  infrastructure SPVs, to ensure these massive capital projects are fully funded
•  and executed on a mission mode.
• 
  
• Decentralized Conservation: At the local level, we must mandate rainwater
•  harvesting and water-recycling systems in all buildings. The current reliance
•  on inefficient water usage in urban centers while rural areas suffer is a
•  national failure that can be corrected through simple, mandatory policy shifts.
• 
  

The Kishau Dam consensus is a lighthouse project. By applying this same decisive

 model to the National River Interlinking mission, you have the opportunity to

 secure India’s water future for generations.

I remain a committed advocate for these reforms and am ready to support this

 national mission in any capacity possible.

With warm regards,

Hemen Parekh

Sources

#	Title	Date	About
1	Water Wars?	2016-04-09	Advocates for centralizing water management to prevent national conflicts over water scarcity.
2	Consensus among six states on Kishau dam project...	2026-09-16	Reports a six-state agreement for the Kishau Dam with 90% funding provided by the Centre.