India’s River Ecosystems -­‐ Strategies to enhance economic value of assets and reduce systemic shocks October 17-­‐18, 2013 Ghalib Hall, Scope Complex, Near CGO Complex, New Delhi, India
Supported by: Partners National Mission Clean Ganga, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India India’s River Ecosystems Strategies to enhance economic value of assets and reduce systemic shocks Overview Modern Indian natural history is rife with river/water related catastrophes. Most recent floods in the State of Uttarakhand caused significant damage to life (of all forms) and landscape. Loss of life is irreparable and other destruction caused inflicts much financial damage to the Government. However, the permanent scarring to the geology and landscape that leads to tremendous hidden losses to the system are hard to calculate. But with the help of strategic planning and forecasting tools the impact of the catastrophes can be predicted which can be a great asset to policy makers for planning developmental and socio-­‐economic interventions. Indian river eco-­‐systems are highly vulnerable because of the sheer number of people that are directly or indirectly dependent on the water bodies and the unplanned development that not only introduces but also increases the systemic risk to the eco-­‐system. Unplanned development on mountain slopes leads to soil erosion which manifests in faster landslides, increased sediment load in the rivers, lower capacity to withhold flash floods. There is much hue & cry from various pressure groups that dams are the main cause of these floods. The jury still not out on whether that is really the case. Although no one can refute the fact that dams are crucial for development for they provide much needed electricity, but the unchecked construction of dams also disturbs the river ecosystem. In the complex environment of the River Ganga, declared the National River, any institutional response needs to be welfare/economically -­‐driven but ecology-­‐centric, multi-­‐sectoral, integrative and evidence-­‐based. As such, the private sector, stakeholders across civil society, and national river managers responsible for the Ganga across the basin need to have access to a comprehensive evidence base, as well as have the opportunity to engage with, debate and discuss the implications of this information both nationally and trans-­‐nationally. Through such stakeholder engagement, information support, and public wider debate, appropriate applied research will provide the opportunity to allow the people of the region through which this socio-­‐
environmentally significant river flows to consider the possible consequences of interventions to improve the health of the river Ganga and enhance the potential for cooperation in the management of the vital economic and ecological services the river provides. Similar complexities and needs exist in the river basins in rest of India such as Cauvery basin (population pressure, loss of biodiversity); Narmada basin (water allocation); Brahmaputra-­‐Barak basin (river dynamics, bank erosion), and the Kosi basin (floods and river dynamics). Predicting and preventing Systemic shocks Are there tools and instruments available to predict these major shocks to the system? There is no simple answer to this question. A complex set of ecosystems of Indian rivers requires an even more complex set of planning and prevention tools. But there are many advanced methodologies that are available or emerging on the horizon that can greatly enhance the ability of policy makers, regulators and other government agencies to get tremendous insight into the River Ecosystem. What is a River Ecosystem? The river ecosystem consists of dynamics and interdependencies of the following constituent parts: (1) River ecology (5) Agricultural interplay (2) Geomorphology (6) Water Quality (3) Flora and Fauna (7) E-­‐flows (4) People and Land use development (8) Hydropower construction What parameters are needed to measure the State of the Ecosystem? The following is a set of parameters that not only environmental agencies but also other Government departments must have a complete handle on at any given moment: 2 (1) E-­‐flows or Environmental flows – to recommend the desired level of water in the river in different seasons. (2) The state of flora and fauna – a healthy score here is itself an insight into the health of the river (3) Land use and Development Index -­‐ to provide parameters on the systemic risk introduced (4) Value for money – to provide an indicative return on investment for each of the projects that are developed (5) Country’s water resources balance sheet (6) Disaster Warning score -­‐ flood risk, drought risk (7) River health assessment – integration of most of the above parameters for complete assessment of river health An Integrated River Basin Ecosystem Management Framework The only way to enhance the quality of water assets and reduce systemic shocks is to understand the correlation (positive or negative) between each of the parameters listed above. Such a system will develop a real time, dynamic engine in which each module will provide crucial inputs to the next module in the value chain. Such a System would have four critical components as illustrated by the diagram below: Policy Decision Support System Each of the above parameters would be fed into an integrated system that will provide signals and/or warning flags to policy makers so as to be able to intervene in a timely manner. The system would enable policy makers to assess a range of scenarios using parameters listed below. They would be able to generate case-­‐scenarios by tweaking the input and/or output parameters. The policy makers can then make positive policy interventions such as allowing or even encouraging development or negative interventions if necessary so as to prevent systemic shocks. Water Economic Impact and Value Assessment The correlation between the state of water assets and economic value addition is fairly well known and understood. River health has a direct impact on agriculture, health of people, land & ecosystem services. Investing in water strategic water assets can have a disproportionate level of positive impact on Economy. However, valuing the assets and its impact assessment is a challenge in current scenario. However with the development of the River Ecosystem Framework, the WEIVA becomes a distinct possibility, which will be of tremendous value not only to the nation but also to the global water challengers and security issues. 3 The Workshop Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur supported by National Mission Clean Ganga (NMCG), Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India and in association with Reserwater Innovation Foundation and several other partners are delighted to organise this two day workshop to discuss the multi-­‐faceted approach and how this framework could be applied to complex Indian river systems such as the Ganga Basin and many others. Confirmed Speakers Include: -­‐ Dr. V.K. Gaur, CMMACS, Bangalore -­‐ Dr. Craig Hutton, University of Southampton, UK -­‐ Mr. N. Vittal, President, ReserWater Innovation Foundation, India -­‐ Dr. Patrice Carbonneau, University of Durham, UK -­‐ Dr. Rajiv Sinha, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India -­‐ Dr. Derek Clarke, University of Southampton, UK -­‐ Mr. Sanmit Ahuja, Chief Executive, ETI Dynamics, UK -­‐ Dr. Simon Dadson, School of Geography & Environment, University of Oxford, UK -­‐ Dr. Vinod Tare, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India Programme – Day 1 The first day of the workshop will focus on the science and most critical tools needed to develop a complete understanding of the river ecosystem. Experts from India and around the world will deliver case-­‐study driven presentations and participate in the panel discussion during the day. A summary of the major research ideas emerged out of the discussions will be presented after each session. 0900 0930 0940 1010 1020 1045 1100 1230 1245 1400 1530 1545 1600 1730 1745 1930 Registration and Refreshments Welcome and Opening remarks Need for an integrated river eco-­‐system services management framework and decision support system Rajiv Sinha and Craig Hutton Address Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MOES), Government of India (To be confirmed) Address Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF), Government of India Coffee Break Case Study 1: Upper Ganga Segment: Hydropower, biodiversity and ecological flows Setting the scene – Vinod Tare and Simon Dadson Panellists: Sharad Jain, Patrice Carbonneau, S K Tandon, R.P. Mathur Chair: Joint Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources (To be confirmed) Summary and way forward Lunch Case study 2: Middle Ganga Segment: Agriculture, pollution, water resource management & vulnerability Setting the scene – Neeraj Mishra and Derek Clark Panellists: S.P. Singh, Vikrant Jain, N. Balaji, Sarani Saha Chair: Principal Secretary, Agriculture, UP (To be confirmed) Summary and way forward Tea break Case Study 3: Lower Ganga Segment: Floods and sediment management, fisheries and food security Setting the scene – Rajiv Sinha and Craig Hutton Panellists: A.K. Sharma, M.D. Behera, Shivam Tripathi, James Dyke Chair: Joint secretary, Disaster management (To be confirmed) Summary and way forward Formation of breakout groups and Close of Day 1 Cocktail Reception and Dinner 4 Programme – Day 2 The second day of the workshop will involve breakout sessions to evolve the research programmes and integration of separate modules to deliver a comprehensive decision support system and an Economic Impact Assessment framework. 0930 Briefing for the breakout sessions 0945 Breakout sessions 1115 Coffee break 1200 Presentations by breakout groups and formulation of projects 1330 Lunch 1430 Special Session: Economic Value of India’s water assets Setting the scene – Sanmit Ahuja Panellists: Vinod Tare, Andrew Allen, Chris Hill, M. Vittal Chair: Joint Secretary, Finance (To be confirmed0 1545 Tea break 1600 Recommendations and Way Forward Chair: Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests (To be confirmed) Summary and major projects Funding opportunities and modalities 1730 Close of Workshop Contacts
For Indian Delegates Prof. Rajiv Sinha IIT Kanpur E: rsinha@iitk.ac.in Prof.Vinod Tare IIT Kanpur E: vinod@iitk.ac.in For International Delegates Mr.Sanmit Ahuja ETI Dynamics / ReserWater Innovation Foundation E: sanmit.ahuja@etidynamics.com Mr.Paawan Bhatia ETI Dynamics / ReserWater Innovation Foundation E: paawan.bhatia@etidynamics.com 5 About IIT Kanpur
The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur was established in the year 1960. The Parliament of India passed the ‘Institutes of Technology Act 1961’ declaring all the IITs as “Institutions of National Importance”. The Parliamentary Act has given absolute autonomy to the IITs. When the foundation stone of the IIT system was laid, it was perceived that taking help from the industrially advanced western countries might be lot more effective in achieving the status of a world class technical institute. IIT Kanpur also is the national co-­‐ordinator of a consortium of 7 Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) that has been given the responsibility of preparing Ganga River Basin Management Plan (GRBMP) by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), GOI, New Delhi. Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) has been signed between 7 IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee) and MoEF for this purpose on July 6, 2010. For more information, visit http://www.iitk.ac.in About ReserWater Innovation Foundation The ReserWater Innovation Foundation (RWIF) is a world class integrated applied research platform that will further innovation in the water sector within India and internationally. This will be the first such initiative of its kind in India if not the world to bring in multiple disciplines within the same cluster including – Research & Academia, Government, Industry and Civil Society. RWIF will provide a holistic solution that accelerates knowledge transfer across different domains: from research to industry and from global centres of innovation to India. In the long run RWIF aspires to be a global centre of excellence addressing not just needs of the Indian sub-­‐continent but also a large part of the high growth and developing country markets. Mr N. Vittal is the founding President of RWIF. He is a former Secretary at the Ministries of Telecommunications and Information Technology, and is one of the architects of the reforms in those sectors, which led to India's emergence as a competitive player in the new global economy. He was recently awarded the Padma Bhushan for his exceptional contribution to India’s development. RWIF’s founding members are ETI Dynamics and Vittal Innovation City. 6