No! This title isn't mine. I borrowed it from Mahmoud Darwish's literary work of the same name. Thats the phrase which came to my mind, sitting here, listening to the problems ailing Ganges, the holy river for the hindus, and life line for millions of Indians, Nepalis and Bangladeshis. Ganges does seem to be dying of thirst (with the gangotri glacier system endangered by human impact) , and yes... it is much more torchured with pollution and unsustainable exploitation. The findings of this novel Indus-Gangetic basin project are revealing. From river system simulations to water flow analysis to developing interventions, every aspect of it has a ton of information to collate.

Source: IWMI 

Indus-Ganges basin has been one of the most heavily utilized river basin of the world. In a very revealing presentation on the state of health of these rivers Dr. Bharat Sharma talks of gages trying to rise from the exteme stess that it has been under and calls for an immediate attention. The case he makes for the situation of extreme distress has the following reasons:

• Rapid agricultural extension has led to water distress
• Climate change has compounded the problem. World Wide Fund for Nature places both these rivers in the list of most endangered rivers.
• This study is an attempt to understand the water crisis in realtion with people and policies
• On Pakistan's water resources: The country has extensive canal system which has provided for food security.
• This basin alone supports  9 other basins of the region.
• However, lack of management has taken its toll. Indus basin is world's largest contiguous irrigation system. Much of the basin faces a threat of over exploitation. The consequences of this could be eruption of agri-socio-economic distress.
• These he says, are warning signals! It faces greater risk due to climate change.  Hydrological sustainablility is facing serious threat in the basin.
• Ganges and its tributaries are main source of water needs of urban megacities along the course and therefore a tussel reigns between the cities and the agriculture sector over their water requirements. Downstream of  Haridwar, it is highly polluted.
• Another pressing is arsenic contamination.
• We have a rich endowment of ground water resources, but is poorly harnessed
• Sea level rise may be much higher than we know. Climate change results in shifts in the course of rivers. Ex. Kosi river exhibits an altered course now.
• Ganges also inhabits a large poor population in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Agriculture and water productivity can be greatly improved.
• To ameliorate the present water crisis high science with well integrated policy and knowledge management is required.

Aspects of the completed study on Indus- Ganges project, which will be pursued further during the workshop are:

• GIS development
• Fishery stock assessment
• Compilation and assessment of water loss
• Dynamics of poverty land and water nexus

The data related to all the aspects of the BFP on IGB is public and available for download. IWMI's stand is that they are happy to share all the information as this could further their mission of alleviating poverty and develop sustainable solutions for man and environment. They have been making significant effort to reach out to the people.

Towards effective management of the basin resources Dr. Bharat recommends:

• Storage and rejuvenation of canal system is required.
• Economic backwardness has strong relation with water availability. The resources should be developed immediately!
• Infrastructure for surface water storage should be developed.
• Role of private sector is critical. Adaptation should give priority to mitigation and extreme climatic events like floods.
• Strategies needs to be focused on energy and food prices management
  
  

 The Indus-Gangetic Basin (IGB) Project conducted by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is a part of the Basin Focal Projects (BFP) of the Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF). The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) is an international, multi-institutional research initiative with a strong emphasis on north-south and south-south partnerships. The initiative brings together research scientists, development specialists, and river basin communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America aiming to improve the productivity of water in river basins in ways that are pro-poor, gender equitable and environmentally sustainable.

The IGB project as well as the Worskshop on Tackling Water and Food Crisis in South Asia has been sponsored by CPWF.