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There is a need to restore the source of water

You say there isn't a short­age of water. The problem is caused purely due to mis-'management. Comment.
If you look at the pattern of rainfall, you realise that it's been more or less the same over the years. We have suffi­cient water, but we don't know how to conserve this water. Nobody has employed the eco­system approach that should be used in water manage­ment. The earlier concept of tanks isn't followed by the present generation either.  
What would you say is the cause for the present prob­lem?  
The problem with the Western Ghats is encroachment and its conversion into an agricultur­al area. Initially, there is pro­ductivity but this comes down and people leave and move on, turning it into barren land. Lakes are silted, encroach­ments aren't maintained and people have removed the vegetation.
How do you suggest the eco-system be managed?
There is an urgent need to restore and conserve the actu­al source of water. Take for example a lake or river basin. The cachement area should be maintained. One should, make sure that there is no barren land in the catchment area. Also, if you part with good vegetation you have contami­nants coming in to the water.
What's the imal solution?  
Now, one river belongs to many agencies, as a result there is no co-ordinated action. We have to restore the eco-system by removing all encroachments. The solution is the development of some­thing similar to a Lake Development Authority that's given full power to manage the eco-system. This team should take up restoration work. The river basin should be treated as one unit and all should be made stakeholders.