From correspondents in Delhi, India, 02:30 AM IST

India Thursday urged the United Nations to aggressively pursue implementation of the Kyoto Protocol for reduction of the greenhouse gas emission that is causing the climate change.

'The UN needs to see that the Kyoto Protocol is not only signed but it is also implemented vigorously,' Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz said at the release of the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Human Development Report 2006, which this year focuses on 'Beyond scarcity: power, poverty and the global water crisis'.

'In fact, the UN needs to study how it can further improve the Kyoto Protocol and its implementation by the signatory countries,' he said.

Under the protocol, member countries have differential obligations to take steps to mitigate impact of the greenhouse gas emission on the climate change.

Commenting on the UNDP report's observation that the climate change will further aggravate the water crisis, particularly for farmers in several countries including India, Soz stressed that 'despite multitude problems India has strived to tackle issues related to the climate change.'

He admitted that overexploitation of groundwater was one of the major problems in India, leading to deterioration in water quality.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)