Policy Watch: National Water Policy | 30 Oct 2019
Policy Watch - National Water Policy
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Government is planning to come out with an updated version of the National Water Policy
(NWP) with key changes in water governance structure and regulatory framework. Plans are
also afoot to set up a National Bureau of Water Use Efficiency. Building consensus among the
states within the constitutional framework is a precondition for making these changes.
NWP was formulated to govern the planning and development of water resources and
their optimum utilisation. The first NWP was adopted in September, 1987. It was
reviewed and updated in 2002 and later in 2012.
NITI Aayog has said that India is facing its first water crisis and the demand for potable
water may outstrip supply by the year 2030 if precautionary steps are not taken.
COMPARISON OF PROVISIONS OF NATIONAL WATER POLICIES OF 1987, 2002 AND 2012
Sl. Sector National Water National Water National Water Policy
No. Description Policy (1987) Policy (2002) (2012)
1. Perspective for National National Integrated perspective
Water Resources perspectives perspectives considering local, regional,
Planning State and national context
2. Information Standardized Standardized All water related data, should
System national national be integrated with well-
information information system defined procedures and
system formats to ensure online
updation and transfer of data
to facilitate development of
database for informed
decision making in the
management of water
3. Water Resources Hydrological unit Hydrological unit Integrated Water Resources
Planning such as a drainage such as a drainage Management taking river
basin as a whole, basin as a whole, or basin / sub-basin as a unit,
or a sub-basin a sub-basin should be the main principle
for planning, development
and management of water
resources
4. Project Planning Water resource Water resource All water resources projects,
development development including hydro power
projects should as projects should as projects, should be planned
far as possible be far as possible be to the extent feasible as
planned and planned and multi-purpose projects with
developed as developed as provision of storage to derive
multipurpose multipurpose maximum benefit from
projects projects available topology and water
resources
5. Environmental No specific Minimum flow A portion of river flows
Flow in Rivers mention except should be ensured should be kept aside to meet
providing for the in the perennial ecological needs ensuring
preservation of the streams for that the proportional low and
quality of maintaining ecology high flow releases
environment and and social correspond in time closely to
the ecological considerations the natural flow regime
balance
6. Ground-water Exploitation of Exploitation of Declining ground water
development ground water ground water levels in over-exploited areas
resources should resources should be need to be arrested by
be so regulated as so regulated as not introducing improved
not to exceed the to exceed the technologies of water use,
recharging recharging incentivizing efficient water
possibilities, as possibilities, as also use and encouraging
also to ensure to ensure social community based
social equity equity management of aquifers
7. Access to safe Adequate drinking Adequate safe Minimum quantity of potable
drinking Water water facilities drinking water water for essential health and
should be provided facilities should be hygiene to all its citizens,
to the entire provided to the available within easy reach
population both in entire population of the household, must be
urban and in rural both in urban and ensured
areas by 1991 in rural areas
8. Inter-basin Water should be Water should be Inter-basin transfers are not
transfer made available to made available to merely for increasing
water short areas water short areas production but also for
by transfer from by transfer from meeting basic human need
other areas other areas and achieving equity and
including transfers including transfers social justice. Inter-basin
from one river from one river transfers of water should be
basin to another, basin to another, considered on the basis of
based on a based on a national merits of each case after
national perspective, after evaluating the
perspective, after taking into account environmental, economic
taking into account the requirements of and social impacts of such
the requirements the areas / basins transfers
of the areas/basins
9. Water Use The efficiency of Efficiency of The “project” and the “basin”
Efficiency utilisation in all utilisation in all thewater use efficiencies need to
the diverse uses of diverse uses of be improved through
water should be water should be continuous water balance
improved and an optimised and an and water accounting studies.
awareness of awareness of water An institutional arrangement
water as a scarce as a scarce resource for promotion, regulation
resource should be should be fostered and evolving mechanisms for
fostered efficient use of water at
basin/sub-basin level will be
established for this purpose
at the national level
10. Flood Emphasis on non- Emphasis on non- While every effort should be
management structural structural made to avert water related
measures, such as measures, such as disasters like floods and
flood forecasting flood forecasting droughts, through structural
and warning and and warning, flood and non-structural measures,
flood plain zoning, plain zoning and emphasis should be on
so as to reduce the flood proofing, so as preparedness for flood /
recurring to reduce the drought with coping
expenditure on recurring mechanisms as an option.
flood relief expenditure on Greater emphasis should be
flood relief placed on rehabilitation of
natural drainage system
11. Gap between Concerted efforts, Concerted efforts All components of water
Irrigation such as command should be made to resources projects should be
Potential created area development, ensure that the planned and executed in a
and utilized should be made to irrigation potential pari-passu manner so that
ensure that the created is fully intended benefits start
irrigation potential utilised. For this accruing immediately and
created is fully purpose, the there is no gap between
utilised and the command area potential created and
gap between the development potential utilized
potential created approach should be
and its utilisation adopted in all
is removed irrigation projects
Importance of An Updated Water Policy
After 7 seven years of previous updation, there are a lot of changes which need to
be addressed and the prioritization of the water usage needs to be defined.
Spring sets in Himalayas have been decreasing without any active step by the
government.
Revitalisation of rivers needs to be brought in focus because many of our rivers
and rivulets are drying and the policy parameters need to be set up accordingly.
Technological innovations like censors, geographic information systems (GIS) and
satellite imagery need to be introduced to modulate the water and track the flow.
Budgeting needs to be done in a way that it covers all levels from the basin to sub
basin.
NITI Aayog has sensitised in its Composite Water Management Index 2.0, 2018
that water usage in current times are very high and inefficient.
The water used in irrigation sector gives the efficiency of 30-38%, the water for
drinking water supply and sanitation in the urban area bears the losses around
40-45%. Villages on the other hand get very less amount of water so the supply
needs to be balanced.
To overcome the natural and human caused challenges like-
Adverse effects of climate change
Extreme rainfall
Water scarcity during summers
Drying up of rivers
Degrading water quality and river pollution
In irrigation sector, command area development has not been done. Around 21
million hectares of land has been created for irrigation but it is not reaching the
farmers because the small channels have not been constructed.
A unified Ministry of Jal Shakti was launched in May, 2019 as an immediate response to
the escalating water crisis in india.
Government also talks about Nal Se Jal to provide piped water supply to every
household by the year 2024.
Command Area Development
It was launched in 1974 to improve the irrigation potential utilization and to
optimize agricultural production through efficient water management.
The Ministry of Water Resources coordinates the implementation of the program
with respective state governments.
Calibrating agriculture with Water Management
Region Based Water Availability: We need to focus on the water availability according
to the particular agro climatic zones and find suitable cropping patterns suiting the
particular needs.
For example Paddy in Punjab and Sugarcane in Maharashtra are not agro
climatically suitable crops because they need more water in these areas and
deprive other crops from getting sufficient water.
Restructuring Subsidies: There needs to be a shift from the freebie culture to some
paying mechanisms because the water or power provided to the farmers are not their
personal resources instead common pool resources.
Pricing of resources is of two types- One price is of the resource itself and the other
is for the system which conveys the resource.
Volumetric supply of water should be there according to the sector specific needs.
Better Funding: The communication, transmission and distribution systems are run by
central or state government distribution centres so they will also be able to work better
with more monetary help and support.
Better Technologies: Globally available technologies like micro irrigation should be
implemented where every single drop of water is used. India is still following age old
practice of dam construction and then conveying water through open canals which
creates problems like water logging and does not even transfer the real quantum of water
to the source which is uneconomical and creates water hazards.
Functions of National Bureau on Water Use Efficiency
To evolve a mechanism to set up an efficiency bar especially in domestic and industrial
sectors.
To bring a paradigm shift in water management and to look at the river basin or the
sub basin as the hydrological unit instead of the administrative and political
boundaries.
To propose a River Basin Management Bill which envisages setting up of river basin
authorities which would be managed by a two tier structure- a governing council and
an executive board.
The governing council will mainly be executing a river basin management plan.
If river basin has to be taken as a hydrological unit, consensus is required at the
basin level between the states involved and within the constitutional
framework.
It will be the first time when there will be a consensus building mechanism at
the political level in the river basin ensuring solving issues and problems at the
basin level only instead of coming to the centre. This will save time and efforts of the
dispute tribunals.
To take care of the integrated water management. It forces the integration of water
resources with other resources like land and issues like the environment and quality of
the resource. It also forces integration of water resources with themselves- groundwater,
surface water and planning and policy formation for the entire water available in the
basin.
Cooperative Federalism
In the earlier water policies, state water policies were also incorporated so
involvement and contribution from the states is important. However, it is a
challenging task to achieve.
States have to be involved in a very cooperative and consultative approach where
there is a win-win situation for both centre and states.
It is a very emotive, political and highly divisive issue and the centre-states relations
are going to be highlighted by this, testing Indian federalism.
Although water is a state subject but centre has always played an active role in the
decision taking process and in interstate disputes.
The process has to be dialogue driven taking care of the sensitivities of the states and
should not be imposed on them.
How do we adopt a cohesive approach?
In the proposed River Basin Management Bill, the governing body will sit with the
representatives from states involved and decide on water allocations and priorities
and implement the plans accordingly.
It will pay attention to the specific needs of the certain states involved.
The approach should be from basin to subbasin and watershed and then micro
watershed to a village level. That should be the ideal pattern to be followed.
This has been done in the Murray Darling Basin, Australia.
Issues with the Restoration of Water Bodies
India has not really paid much attention to its groundwater levels yet so the first thing
we need to do is effectively map the available groundwater and thereafter form
groundwater policies.
India uses 85-90% of groundwater for irrigation so concrete plans are needed to keep
track of it and find measures to replenish it as well.
As per NITI Aayog’s report last year, 21 cities will be deficient in ground water by 2020.
More options have to be looked into for avoiding such circumstances.
Fourth Minor Irrigation Census Report, 2014 stated that India has around 6 lac water
bodies which came down to around 5 lac after the Fifth Minor Irrigation Census
Report, 2017 was published.
These water bodies are the groundwater recharging structures which are encroached
by the people after the advent of the pipelines.
Ministry of Jal Shakti is trying to upscale from 18% piped water supply to further
up. Wherever it is already provided, it is around 40 litre per capita per day with
100m lead distance.
The groundwater depletion enhanced with the reduction in these recharging zones.
The extraction rate of groundwater is more than the replenishing rate in most of the
cities which causes overexploitation.
For example, Delhi is extracting 130% groundwater which means it is using 30%
more than the replenishing rate.
India needs to revive the water bodies, tanks, baolis and tankas.
Suggestions
India initiated its first water policy in 1987 and now has to look back at the nitty-gritties
of earlier policies, find strong points and loopholes to work accordingly on the new
policy.
The new policy framework should be based on the recommendations of NITI Aayog’s
Composite Water Management Index 2.0, 2018 which are very realistic and alarming
at the same time.
We need to redefine, rethink and recalibrate what we mean by Integrated Water
Resource Management.
The aspects of basin and sub basin planning has to be looked into for setting up
realistic targets.
Emphasis needs to be shifted towards participatory groundwater management to
ensure sustainability and quality of water.
The quantum of water is not less in this country but management of water is required.
So next agenda should be managing water properly.
Sustainability and resilience should be the key words in the management of problems
like water shortage or excessive water availability.
Another important aspect can be interlinking rivers to transfer water from surplus
basins to deficient basins to balance out the water availability.
There is a need to update the national water policy in the light of new challenges, especially the
adverse effects of climate change.
