SPEECH BY HER EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA, SHRIMATI PRATIBHA DEVISINGH PATIL, AT THE PRESENTATION OF NATIONAL URBAN WATER AWARDS

New Delhi, 13th August 2009

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am happy to participate in this function of the National Urban Water Awards. I congratulate the award winners on this occasion for their work in different areas of urban water management and improvement of service delivery. I would also like to commend the Ministry of Urban Development for having instituted these awards which have evoked an enthusiastic response from those engaged in the water and sanitation sectors.

The urban population across the world has been increasing. Today, half of humanity lives in cities and this trend is expected to continue, leading to assessments that the 21st century is likely to be the century when cities will be the dominant human habitats.

India too has a growing urban population. Between 1991 and 2001 there was an addition of 68 million to our urban population, marking a decadal growth rate of about 31 percent and taking the number of city dwellers to 286 million. At the same time, cities are seeing a rise in number of slum dwellers, highlighting the phenomena of urban poverty. Being at the lower rung of the ladder, they constitute the vulnerable section and likely to suffer from hunger, malnutrition and disease. The building of inclusive cities will require that benefits of social welfare reach them and they are empowered. This in turn will make cities more humane and more productive.

Urban housing, transport arrangements, water, sanitation, health and education facilities would need to grow at a correspondingly fast rate to meet expanding requirements and to make them available to all. In our cities, however, infrastructure such as electricity, sewage, roads has not been able to respond to meet the growing demand. We would need to fill this supply-demand gap and, at the same time undertake expansion projects to cope up with the additional population that is likely to accrue in the urban areas. Growing urbanization calls for being ready for the future by planning ahead on issues of urban management and urban governance, which would address issues of water management, sanitation, transport, energy supply including through options like solar energy, and slum development in an integrated manner.

Provision of clean drinking water and sanitation are vital components for creating conducive living conditions for city populations. So important, that while addressing a function in a Municipality in 1927, Gandhiji emphasised that, "the first condition of any municipal life is decent sanitation and unfailing supply of pure water." This is an important message and we should fulfill the vision of the Father of the Nation.

Currently, in respect of water supply 91 percent of the urban population in India has got access to water supply facilities and we are aiming at 100 percent coverage by 2012. It should, however, be borne in mind that supply should be as per accepted norms both in terms of quantity as well as quality. There should be equitable distribution across different areas of the city or for all segments of society. Moreover, I am told that there are water losses through pipe lines and the resultant wastage reduces water availability by almost 50 percent in some areas. All these supply side issues need solutions that must be found through better governance, better quality control and better technology. Hence, I am happy that Citizen Services and Governance, Financial Reform, Services to the Poor and Technical Innovation are among the categories chosen for the National Urban Water Awards.

Solutions to our water challenges would have to be people centric also. It is their actions which can create a crises and it is a change in the way they act that can alleviate much of the problems related to water management. We would need to increasingly focus on encouraging the people to look to reducing the quantum of water utilized and at water recycling options. Water harvesting and water efficient household equipment, taps with controlled flow of water and improved flushing systems which require less water are good practices that should be followed. Citizens must understand that water is not an unlimited resource but a finite asset. We should, therefore, promote water literacy where people are made to understand the value of every drop of water. We are encouraging the concept of Green Buildings in cities which are designed for energy conservation. I would suggest that this concept should also be added 'Oasis Buildings' in which an efficient water system is installed and good water practices are followed. People's participation will be crucial for achieving success. I am pleased that this aspect has been recognized through category of the Public-Private partnership award given today.

While the first priority is to make water available for drinking purposes but equally important is water for sanitation. Clean surroundings are important for a healthy individual and, indeed, for the enhancement of social parameters of a society. Sanitation and good hygiene practices reflect the quality of life of the people. Improper sanitation facilities and lack of personal and food hygiene are the root cause of many diseases like diarrhea, polio and typhoid, and one of the major causes of child and maternal mortality and morbidity. It is only clean cities that can be healthy cities. I am glad that in the Right to Education Bill there is a provision for providing a toilet for girls in every school. I am confident that every city will extend full cooperation to make this a reality. Lack of toilets is a cause for low attendance of girls in schools and, as they grow older, the reason for their dropping out of school. Toilets would go a long way in promoting education of the girl child. As new toilets are built as part of a city's integrated sanitation system, we must also create awareness about hygiene improvement. NGOs should be involved - some like Sulabh are doing good work in sanitation. After being given appropriate training, NGOs and Self Help Groups should be encouraged to give lessons on hygiene, particularly in slum areas. While the Urban Sanitation Awards are important as part of the endeavour to encourage the growth of livable cities, I would suggest that a specific award should also be instituted ward wise in the field of Sanitation and Hygiene.

In conclusion, I would like to once again convey my appreciation to the Ministry of Urban Development for focusing on water and sanitation issues as priority areas. Each and every initiative of the National Urban Water Awards 2009 programme is a lesson in itself worthy of emulation. While some of the entries have been awarded, I believe that those who have participated are all winners. Excellence in the delivery of municipal services should be the motto of Indian cities. Continuous water supply, universal access and sanitation facilities in cities should be our mission. And we need to accomplish this fast. I am sure that the National Urban Water Awards will prove to be a big morale booster for our urban local bodies, water utilities and functionaries.

Thank you.

Jai Hind

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