Cryosphere-Water Integration

World Water Day 2025 was observed with the theme ‘Glacier Preservation’, aligning with the UN’s International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation and the launch of the Decade of Action on Cryospheric Science (2025–2034). This has renewed global attention on integrated water governance through the Source-to-Sea (S2S) approach.

Integrating Cryospheric Science with Water Policy: The Case for Source-to-Sea Approach

Global Developments in Water and Glacier Governance

• Theme of World Water Day 2025: The United Nations observed March 22, 2025, as World Water Day with the focus on ‘Glacier Preservation’, aligning it with broader concerns of mountain ecosystems and downstream water security.
• Launch of Cryosphere Decade (2025–2034): The Decade of Action on Cryospheric Science was launched to underscore the urgent need to monitor and protect the earth's frozen regions, especially glaciers, due to their significant contribution to global freshwater availability.
• UN World Water Development Report 2025: The report titled ‘Mountains and Glaciers – Water Towers’ emphasized the pivotal role of alpine glaciers in sustaining mountain communities and lowland societies, warning of disruptions in hydrological patterns due to glacial retreat.

Source-to-Sea (S2S) Approach – Concept and Evolution

• Origin in the Manila Declaration (2012): The S2S approach was introduced via the Manila Declaration, urging integrated land-freshwater-coastal-ocean management, recognizing the hydrological link between upstream and downstream ecosystems.
• Institutionalization by SIWI and IUCN: The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) initiated the Action Platform for S2S Management in 2014, now hosted by IUCN (since Jan 2025), to foster transboundary cooperation and holistic water governance.
• Scientific Redesign Recommendations: The UN University (2012) proposed critical changes: to remove the siloed treatment of water bodies and adopt socio-ecological frameworks, including tools like Causal Chain Analysis and Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis.

India’s Water Management Challenges and the Way Forward

• Multiple Stressors and Governance Failures: India faces critical stress from pollution (311 river stretches), overexploitation of groundwater (60.5% average use, >100% in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan), and fragmented governance spread across four nested levels.
• Slow Policy Evolution and S2S Neglect: Despite three national water policies (starting 1987) and efforts like the 2019 expert committee under Ministry of Jal Shakti, S2S integration remains on the fringes, lacking mainstream adoption in policy frameworks.
• Emerging S2S Pilot Projects in India: Two ongoing S2S-aligned initiatives—nutrient management in Delhi waterbodies and a future Indo-Gangetic basin study—show potential for linking SDG-6 (water) and SDG-14 (marine protection) under a unified action plan.

Practice Question:

Discuss the significance of adopting a Source-to-Sea (S2S) approach in India’s water governance. How can this framework bridge the upstream-downstream disconnect and contribute to achieving the integrated targets of SDG-6 and SDG-14?