New Delhi, Oct. 30 -- Environmentalist and Padma Shri awardee Umashankar Pandey has underscored the urgent need for water conservation, emphasising the immense quantity of water required for agricultural production and daily consumption.

Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the Bharat International Rice Conference, Pandey highlighted startling figures on water usage across various food products.

"Rice, in fact, our life is all water," he said. "Producing one kilogram of rice requires about 2,000 litres of water, a single lemon needs around 100 litres, one kilogram of wheat consumes 1,000 litres, one kilogram of paneer takes about 5,500 litres, and one kilogram of fish requires nearly 25,000 litres. We must reduce water use, especially in...