2018 July 22 NTA UGC NET Paper 1

Read the following passage carefully and answer questions no. 11 to 15.
Some 2000 km down south of the Amazon, and about the same time when the tidal waves were at their highest as a consequence of the big clash of sea and fresh water at the Amazon delta most vigorously in March and April (2018), more than 40,000 people were talking about the power of water. Brasilia hosted the eighth edition of the World Water Forum (WWF – 8), where heads of states, civil societies and private sector gathered to discuss the present and future of mankind’s most valuable resource. This year’s theme was ‘Sharing Water’, and the government authorities expectedly put forth a political declaration, aimed at raising awareness about threats and opportunities associated with water resources. Deliberations here would play a decisive role in the periodic assessment of the sustainable development goals of Agenda 2030.
Brazil has established a solid institutional and legal framework for water management, based on the principle of multi-stakeholder participation. Brazil has also been conducting one of the boldest river inter-linking projects in which 500 km of canals will transfer abundant waters from the Sāo Francisco basin to small rivers and weirs in one of Brazil’s most arid areas,
benefitting more than 12 million people in almost 400 municipalities.
India, too, has a large variety of water resources. An institutional framework consisting of regional river boards and river cleansing missions has been set up, while successive Central Governments have made efforts to address the dire needs of irrigation and mitigation of ground water depletion. As in the case of Brazil, a lot remains to be done in India.
Adequate treatment of industrial waste-water, the fight against contamination of riverbeds and assistance to drought affected areas are high priority topics for both New Delhi and Brasilia. Due to these commonalities, there is ample room for bilateral co-operation. Water is a local, regional and global common and as such, collaboration is key to address most of its associated threats.
Today, mankind is faced with two facts: water is too powerful a force to be fought over, and too valuable a resource to be lost. To harmonise these two conflicting aspects, sharing water is perhaps the only meaningful motto for the ages to come.

Deliberations on the theme ‘Sharing Water’ should facilitate