India, Nov. 29 -- Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil on Friday said building new dams was no longer a viable and long-term water management solution due to high costs, land acquisition hurdles, and shrinking river flows. The minister urged states to align with the Centre's push for conservation and emphasised the need for collective action.

"We all know water gives life, but it also gives destruction when we fail to manage it," Paatil said at the inauguration of the Ministry of Jal Shakti's two-day summit on 'Vision for Sujalam Bharat'.

He noted that while India has 18 per cent of the world's population and livestock, it has access to only 4 per cent of global freshwater resources.

"We need water every moment, but we have not been able to o...