With India being predominantly an agricultural economy, water resources has been of extreme importance with regards to the growth of the country. About two-thirds of the total agricultural output depends on irrigation. Apart from securing food security, it also affects rural development, urbanization, climate change adaptation and India’s relations with its neighbours.
Some of the issues concerning water resources in India are the scarcity of water and the conflicts arising out of it. Since water is a ‘state subject’ in the Constitution of the country, conflicts between states with respect to water is a common issue. Further, there are also conflicts between various sectors for water allocation. The demand for water resources is expected to exceed the potential of the country by 2050. At present, about 60% of irrigation and 85% drinking water demand are met by exploiting groundwater. Due to this, the groundwater in the country is depleting at a very fast rate.
The management of water resources in the country has been a point of debate for years. In place of improving the management of the existing resources, focus remains on increasing the supply. In past few decades many structures have come up to improve the availability of water in rural areas. However, their maintenance has been neglected and many of them do not operate properly. The neglect of already built structures have been causing huge losses and also making the water resources sector of the country inefficient.
The subject of irrigation and power goes back to pre-independence period in India. In 1855, the Department of Public Works was established to look into the issues related to the irrigation and power in the country. In 1958, after a major famine in the country, the irrigation-related works were taken up more seriously by the department. Irrigation later became a provincial subject under the Government of India Act 1919.
In 1923, the Public Works Department was merged with the Department of Industry and all the irrigation and power related works came under the new department, which was named the Department of Industries and Labour. This department was again bifurcated in 1937 into two separate departments – the Department of Labour and the Department of Communication. The Department of Labour was assigned responsibilities pertaining to irrigation. This subject was later transferred to the newly-formed Department of Works, Mines and Power. In 1951, it was again transferred to the Ministry or National Resources and Scientific research.
Shortly afterwards in 1952, a separate Ministry of Irrigation and Power was constituted. The ministry functioned for a long time before it was bifurcated and a new Department of Irrigation was set up and brought under the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation in 1974.
In January 1980, the Ministry of Energy and Irrigation was constituted, which was bifurcated in six months time and a Ministry of Irrigation came into being. However, in January 1985, the ministry was again combined under the Ministry of Irrigation and Power, which laws bifurcated in the September of the same year. After bifurcation, the Department of Irrigation was re-constituted as the Ministry of Water Resources.
The main function of the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) is to develop policies and lay down guidelines for development and regulation of water resources in India. The ministry, under this umbrella goal, provides technical guidance and scrutinizes the irrigation, flood control and multi-purpose projects in the country. It also gives these projects clearances and monitors their implementation. It undertakes and facilitates infrastructure, technical and research support for the development of the sector. MoWR also provides central financial assistance for certain projects and provides assistance in securing financing from World Bank and other agencies.
The ministry determines the water balance of the different basins in the country and formulated a national water development perspective. It also intervenes into and resolves disputes between states relating to interstate rivers. Besides, the ministry operates central network for flood forecasting and prepares flood control master plan for Rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra. Apart from this, the ministry coordinates with the neighbouring countries with regards to intercountry rivers.
Attached Bodies or Autonomous Bodies
Central Water Commission (CWC)
Central Water Commission has been described as the “premier technical organization of India in the field of Water Resources” by MoWR. The main responsibilities of the commission are initiating and coordinating schemes relating to water resources such as flood control, irrigation, drinking water supply, hydropower and navigation. Promoting conservation of water and utilization of water resources in the country through coordination of all the involved agencies is also one of the most important responsibilities of the CWC. It takes up surveys and investigations, constructions and also implements schemes in these sectors.
Central Power and Water Research Station
The Central Power and Water Research Station in Pune provides research and development support for water and energy projects. It also offers support in water transport related projects.
National Water Development Agency (NWDA)
NWDA came into existence in 1982. The main function of NWDA is to carry out survey and investigation work pertaining to possible sites for setting up reservoirs. It also carries out studies relating to water in the river systems, needs of the states and scope of transferring the water from basins to other states. It also prepares feasibility reports of schemes relating to peninsular rivers development and Himalayan rivers development. One of the main functions of NWDA is to prepare project reports of river link proposals that come under the National Perspective Plan for development of water resources in the country.
National Institute of Hydrology (NIH)
National Institute of Hydrology is headquartered in Roorkee, Uttarakhand. The institute was set up in 1978 for carrying out systematic and scientific work in area of hydrology. Under this it implements, aids, promotes and coordinates all the work pertaining to hydrology. The institute has four regional centres in the country at Belgaum, Jammu, Kakinada and Sagar. It also has two specialized centres for flood management in Guwahati and Patna.
WASPCOS was incorporated in 1969 to provide consultancy services in areas of water resources, power and infrastructure. It provides consultancy services engineering and other technical areas pertaining to development of water resources, drainage, irrigation, hydroelectricity, water supply projects and flood control and moderation. It undertakes surveys and investigations for various projects under water resources. It inspects and supervises construction of water resources projects such as dams, canals, weirs, barrages, hydropower plants and also transmission and distribution systems.
National Projects Construction Corporation (NPCC)
National Projects Construction Corporation was set up in 1957 to create the required infrastructure for economic development of the country. NPCC specializes in construction of dams, barrages, canals, hydro and thermal power projects, tunnels, townships, industrial projects, bridges, water treatment plants, transmission lines and also provides project management consultancy.
Upper Yamuna River Board was constituted in May 1994 and is headquartered in National Capital Region. The board was established as per the memorandum of understanding signed by chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal, Rajasthan and National Capital Territory of Delhi for regulation and supply of water among the co-basin states up to Okhla barrage.
Central Ground Water Board (CGWB)
Central Ground Water Board was set up in 1970. The board is a scientific organization that was established to provide scientific input for exploring, managing, assessing, regulating and augmenting ground water resources of the country. The board develops and disseminates technologies in this regard to various stakeholders of the sector. It carries of studies on ground water management; conducts ground water exploration by drilling; monitors ground water resources; investigates water supplies; assess ground water resources periodically; publishes maps and reports related to ground water resources; constructs deposit wells; and carries out geophysical, hydro-chemical, pollution and remote sensing studies. It also conducts training in the ground water area and several other awareness and water management programmes. The headquarters of CGWB is located in Faridabad, Haryana.
Central Soil and Material Research Station (CSMRS)
Central Soil and Material Research Station is an institute under the Ministry of Water Resources that investigates and conducts researches in geo-mechanics, concrete technology and construction materials. It studies the impact of these on the environment that affects the irrigation and power sector of the country. Within these parameters, CSMRS also performs the functions of training, consultancy and dissemination of information.
Narmada Control Authority was set up in accordance to the final order of The Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal, which was constituted to arbitrate upon the water dispute pertaining to River Narmada. The authority was set up to implement the decisions taken by the tribunal. The authority was established in December 1980. It has representatives from four states - Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, as well as from the central government.
The authority coordinates and directs all the projects in the Narmada basin. This includes the engineering works, R&R programmes and environment protection measures. Other important functions of the authority are storage and regulation of Narmada Waters; sharing of power from Sardar Sarovar project; regulate release of water from Madhya Pradesh and sharing of costs.
The Brahmaputra Board was constituted by the central government of India under the Brahmaputra Board Act of 1980. The board was set up under the Ministry of Irrigation, which has been renamed as the Ministry of Water Resources. The board was set up to plan and implement measures for flood control and river bank erosion in the Brahmaputra Valley. The main functions of the board are to carry out survey and investigation in the Brahmaputra Valley; prepare master plan for improvement of drainage, flood control and bank erosion; prepare reports and assesses estimates of project proposed under the master plan; and to lay down standards and specification of projects in the Brahmaputra Valley. In addition, the board can also develop multi-purpose dam under its master plan with approval of the central government. The Brahmaputra Board started functioning from January 1982. It is headquartered in Guwahati, Assam.
Tungabhadra Board was set up in 1953 for completion of Tungabhadra project, its operation and maintenance. The Tungabhadra hydro project on River Tungabhadra in Andhra Pradesh has been completed and has been supplying power to the country for decades. The board, at present, regulates water for irrigation, hydropower generation and other uses from the reservoir of the Tungabhadra dam.
Ganga Flood Control Commission
Ganga Flood Control Commission was set up in April 1972 to plan and implement measures for flood control in the Ganga Basin states. The commission is a subordinate office of the Ministry of Water Resources. The main functions of the commission are according techno-economic appraisal to the flood management schemes in the Ganga basin, implementing and monitoring flood management schemes and also evaluating them. The commission has its headquarters in Patna, Bihar.
With depleting ground water resources and deteriorating quality of ground water, the government of India has put its focus on ground water management and regulation. A major portion of the budget for the water resources of the country has been earmarked for the ground resources management and regulation. In year 2011-12, a total of Rs. 720 crore ($126.29 million USD) budget support was provided to the sector. From this, Rs. 117 crore ($20.52 million USD) was allocated to the groundwater related works. These included carrying out ground water management studies, designing ground water development and management plan. It also included exploration, assessment, monitoring ground water levels in the country. The budget also had provisions for procurement of equipment for strengthening of infrastructure to help in these objectives.
Apart from ground water, research & development in the water resources sector and development of water resources information system are other major areas of focus for the central government. The R&D programs had budgetary allocation of Rs. 45.89 crore ($8.04 million USD) in 2011-12. The objectives of the R&D scheme are to carry out researches and conduct studies to improve the efficiency of the existing water resource facilities. Besides, the scheme will also include improving the availability of technology and engineering processes in the sector. The main objective of the R&D schemes in water resources is to identify solutions for the problems related to the water resources sector in the country. A total of Rs. 46.84 crore ($8.21 million USD) was allocated for development of Water Resources Information System in 2011-12. The scheme was proposed with the objective of optimal utilization of water resources in the country.
In total, plan outlay for major and medium irrigation works for the year 2011-12 was Rs. 273.89 crore ($48.04 million USD); minor irrigation was Rs. 130.4 crore ($22.87 million USD), flood control and irrigation was Rs. 161 crore ($8.24 million USD); other transport services was Rs. 70.4 crore ($12.28 million USD); and schemes for benefit of north eastern region and Sikkim was Rs. 84.31 crore ($14.78 million USD).
Saving Narmada
Narmada project is one of the most controversial dam projects in India. It involves construction of 3,200 large, medium and small dams across River Narmada, which flows through three states – Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Sardar Sarovar Dam is the largest dam on the river. Saving Narmada Movement (Narmada Bachao Andolan) is leading the protest against the construction of Sardar Sarovar project and other projects on River Narmada. The activists have claimed that the project will displace more than 200,000 people and also affect the ecology of the region. The work on the project in 1994 was stopped when the World Bank and other international financial institutions financial institutions withdrew from the project. The Supreme Court of India gave a go ahead to the project in year 2000 with the dam height of 90 meters, against the initially proposed height of 140 meters. After completing 90 meters, the developers sought permission to increase the dam height and raised it to 100 meters. The additional increase of height met with huge protests from Narmada Bachao Andolan.
Understanding the Narmada Controversy (by Dinkar Shukla, Press Information Bureau)
The World’s First Anti-Dam Movement (by Ramachandra Guha, The Hindu)
Water Allocation from River Cauvery
The dispute over water allocation on River Cauvery has been going on for almost past three decades as the states involved – Tamil Nadu and Karnataka – have failed to reach at an agreement with respect to sharing of water from the River. Despite several attempts by the center, the matter still needs to be resolved.
TN, K’taka in Cauvery Dispute (The Statesman)
Karnataka to Move SC over Cauvery Dispute (Deccan Herald)
Superbugs in India Drinking Water
Scientists in United Kingdom claimed that the drinking water supplied in India has “superbugs” – NDM 1 Gene. The bug was also named after New Delhi that created furor in the country. According to the report, New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM) 1 gene is found in the city’s water supply. This gene makes bacteria highly resistant to all known drugs. In a statement to the press, Union Health Minister of India Ghulam Nabi Azad stated: “It (superbug) is universal and is found in the intestine of humans and animals. It is wrong to say that it is found only in India and Pakistan. They say it was found in patients who visit India and Pakistan. The study nowhere mentions if the bacteria were found even before those persons visited India.” However, many scientists in India have mentioned that the fact should not be ignored that the gene has been found in the water samples collected from the Capital and a collective approach should be taken to curb its spread.
Naming Superbug After Delhi Triggers Ethical Debate (by Kounteya Sinha, Times Of India)
India Being Wrongly Blamed for Bacteria in Drinking Water: Govt (India Today)
Groundwater Unsafe for Drinking
Groundwater in almost 33% of India has been found unfit for drinking. Groundwater remains one of the main supplies of drinking water in the country and the unsafe levels of irons found in the groundwater of the country in many districts have raised questions over the government’s assurance of providing safe drinking water for all by 2012.
Groundwater in 33% of India Undrinkable (Times of India)
The Indian Rivers Inter-link Project
The Indian Rivers Inter-link project is a massive project envisaged by the government of the country. The project involves linking the river basins through canals to channelize the excess water from floods in one river to the other rivers where the flow is not adequate. The ambitious project by the government has been under discussion for a long time. Though the project has irrigational benefits, the cost of the magnanimous project has been a topic of debate. Many institutions in the country have also questioned the feasibility of the project.
Pro-Indian Rivers Inter-Link
Linking rivers from water surplus areas to deficient ones will help those areas. Additionally, it will address problems between states who share rivers. For instance, two southern states Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been fighting over the Cauvery river for over a century.
Grand Distraction Called River Interlinking (by Sunita Narain, Down to Earth)
Anti-Indian Rivers Inter-Link
Some critics say that diverting water will help drier areas is false. Most river basins today are overused and in most regions tension is growing between old rural users and new industrial and urban users. According to K. J. Joy of the Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts states with a design that consists of 30 projects involving 80 dams there could be disastrous environmental issues not considered. There would also be displacement of people and the Indian government does not have a good track record in resettling.
Experts Object To River Linking Project (Indian Express)
Drive to Link Indian Rivers (by Abhishek Prabhat, BBC News)
Groundwater Bill
One of the major concerns for the government today is depleting ground water resources of the country. In Delhi there is an inadequate supply of piped water. Combined with the city growing 47% in the last decade, Delhi’s groundwater levels plummeted, with many wells drying in critical areas of south and southwest.
Depleting resources have also led to people now digging deeper in the ground to extract water. This is contaminating the remaining groundwater reserves. In view of the situation the government is contemplating taxing the use of ground water in Delhi. The draft bill requires mandatory registration of all wells in Delhi, authorized and illegal. The groundwater bill is likely to be discussed in the upcoming monsoon session of the Delhi Assembly.
Pro-Groundwater Bill
Once wells are registered, they can be measured to check on illegal water removal.
Unauthorized Delhi neighborhoods (generally slums) typically are not serviced by the Delhi Jal Board (water board), so residents rely on water from illegal sources, including unregistered water tanks. The bill would also require tankers registration and their movements tracked ensuring that only authorized tankers are able to extract water. Currently Delhi is experiencing massive unauthorized water extraction by private parties which the sell water for exorbitant sums.
Groundwater May Be Taxed, Bill in Cabinet (by Neha Lalchandani, Times of India)
Anti-Groundwater Bill
Critics say that while the Delhi Jal Board cannot provide adequate water, most of its money gets wasted in projects no where near completion so it has no right to implement this law. Also, unless there are strong enforcement measures, the Bill won’t work.
You May Have To Pay For Groundwater Use (by Neha Lalchandani, Times of India)
Water management reforms have been suggested by most institutions and stakeholders of the sector. Reform in allocation of water to different states and sectors, storage of water, modes of delivery will result in overall improvement in management of water resources of the country. Another major suggestion by most industry stakeholders, as well as external agencies, is to utilize the existing infrastructure for efficient water management and not spend additional time and money in construction of new structures as many old structures remain unused or poorly-maintained.
- Table of Contents
- Overview
- History
- What it Does
- Where Does the Money Go
- Controversies
- Debate
- Suggested Reforms
- Former Directors
- Comments
- Leave a comment
Ministry of Water Resources
With India being predominantly an agricultural economy, water resources has been of extreme importance with regards to the growth of the country. About two-thirds of the total agricultural output depends on irrigation. Apart from securing food security, it also affects rural development, urbanization, climate change adaptation and India’s relations with its neighbours.
Some of the issues concerning water resources in India are the scarcity of water and the conflicts arising out of it. Since water is a ‘state subject’ in the Constitution of the country, conflicts between states with respect to water is a common issue. Further, there are also conflicts between various sectors for water allocation. The demand for water resources is expected to exceed the potential of the country by 2050. At present, about 60% of irrigation and 85% drinking water demand are met by exploiting groundwater. Due to this, the groundwater in the country is depleting at a very fast rate.
The management of water resources in the country has been a point of debate for years. In place of improving the management of the existing resources, focus remains on increasing the supply. In past few decades many structures have come up to improve the availability of water in rural areas. However, their maintenance has been neglected and many of them do not operate properly. The neglect of already built structures have been causing huge losses and also making the water resources sector of the country inefficient.
The subject of irrigation and power goes back to pre-independence period in India. In 1855, the Department of Public Works was established to look into the issues related to the irrigation and power in the country. In 1958, after a major famine in the country, the irrigation-related works were taken up more seriously by the department. Irrigation later became a provincial subject under the Government of India Act 1919.
In 1923, the Public Works Department was merged with the Department of Industry and all the irrigation and power related works came under the new department, which was named the Department of Industries and Labour. This department was again bifurcated in 1937 into two separate departments – the Department of Labour and the Department of Communication. The Department of Labour was assigned responsibilities pertaining to irrigation. This subject was later transferred to the newly-formed Department of Works, Mines and Power. In 1951, it was again transferred to the Ministry or National Resources and Scientific research.
Shortly afterwards in 1952, a separate Ministry of Irrigation and Power was constituted. The ministry functioned for a long time before it was bifurcated and a new Department of Irrigation was set up and brought under the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation in 1974.
In January 1980, the Ministry of Energy and Irrigation was constituted, which was bifurcated in six months time and a Ministry of Irrigation came into being. However, in January 1985, the ministry was again combined under the Ministry of Irrigation and Power, which laws bifurcated in the September of the same year. After bifurcation, the Department of Irrigation was re-constituted as the Ministry of Water Resources.
The main function of the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) is to develop policies and lay down guidelines for development and regulation of water resources in India. The ministry, under this umbrella goal, provides technical guidance and scrutinizes the irrigation, flood control and multi-purpose projects in the country. It also gives these projects clearances and monitors their implementation. It undertakes and facilitates infrastructure, technical and research support for the development of the sector. MoWR also provides central financial assistance for certain projects and provides assistance in securing financing from World Bank and other agencies.
The ministry determines the water balance of the different basins in the country and formulated a national water development perspective. It also intervenes into and resolves disputes between states relating to interstate rivers. Besides, the ministry operates central network for flood forecasting and prepares flood control master plan for Rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra. Apart from this, the ministry coordinates with the neighbouring countries with regards to intercountry rivers.
Attached Bodies or Autonomous Bodies
Central Water Commission (CWC)
Central Water Commission has been described as the “premier technical organization of India in the field of Water Resources” by MoWR. The main responsibilities of the commission are initiating and coordinating schemes relating to water resources such as flood control, irrigation, drinking water supply, hydropower and navigation. Promoting conservation of water and utilization of water resources in the country through coordination of all the involved agencies is also one of the most important responsibilities of the CWC. It takes up surveys and investigations, constructions and also implements schemes in these sectors.
Central Power and Water Research Station
The Central Power and Water Research Station in Pune provides research and development support for water and energy projects. It also offers support in water transport related projects.
National Water Development Agency (NWDA)
NWDA came into existence in 1982. The main function of NWDA is to carry out survey and investigation work pertaining to possible sites for setting up reservoirs. It also carries out studies relating to water in the river systems, needs of the states and scope of transferring the water from basins to other states. It also prepares feasibility reports of schemes relating to peninsular rivers development and Himalayan rivers development. One of the main functions of NWDA is to prepare project reports of river link proposals that come under the National Perspective Plan for development of water resources in the country.
National Institute of Hydrology (NIH)
National Institute of Hydrology is headquartered in Roorkee, Uttarakhand. The institute was set up in 1978 for carrying out systematic and scientific work in area of hydrology. Under this it implements, aids, promotes and coordinates all the work pertaining to hydrology. The institute has four regional centres in the country at Belgaum, Jammu, Kakinada and Sagar. It also has two specialized centres for flood management in Guwahati and Patna.
WASPCOS was incorporated in 1969 to provide consultancy services in areas of water resources, power and infrastructure. It provides consultancy services engineering and other technical areas pertaining to development of water resources, drainage, irrigation, hydroelectricity, water supply projects and flood control and moderation. It undertakes surveys and investigations for various projects under water resources. It inspects and supervises construction of water resources projects such as dams, canals, weirs, barrages, hydropower plants and also transmission and distribution systems.
National Projects Construction Corporation (NPCC)
National Projects Construction Corporation was set up in 1957 to create the required infrastructure for economic development of the country. NPCC specializes in construction of dams, barrages, canals, hydro and thermal power projects, tunnels, townships, industrial projects, bridges, water treatment plants, transmission lines and also provides project management consultancy.
Upper Yamuna River Board was constituted in May 1994 and is headquartered in National Capital Region. The board was established as per the memorandum of understanding signed by chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal, Rajasthan and National Capital Territory of Delhi for regulation and supply of water among the co-basin states up to Okhla barrage.
Central Ground Water Board (CGWB)
Central Ground Water Board was set up in 1970. The board is a scientific organization that was established to provide scientific input for exploring, managing, assessing, regulating and augmenting ground water resources of the country. The board develops and disseminates technologies in this regard to various stakeholders of the sector. It carries of studies on ground water management; conducts ground water exploration by drilling; monitors ground water resources; investigates water supplies; assess ground water resources periodically; publishes maps and reports related to ground water resources; constructs deposit wells; and carries out geophysical, hydro-chemical, pollution and remote sensing studies. It also conducts training in the ground water area and several other awareness and water management programmes. The headquarters of CGWB is located in Faridabad, Haryana.
Central Soil and Material Research Station (CSMRS)
Central Soil and Material Research Station is an institute under the Ministry of Water Resources that investigates and conducts researches in geo-mechanics, concrete technology and construction materials. It studies the impact of these on the environment that affects the irrigation and power sector of the country. Within these parameters, CSMRS also performs the functions of training, consultancy and dissemination of information.
Narmada Control Authority was set up in accordance to the final order of The Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal, which was constituted to arbitrate upon the water dispute pertaining to River Narmada. The authority was set up to implement the decisions taken by the tribunal. The authority was established in December 1980. It has representatives from four states - Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, as well as from the central government.
The authority coordinates and directs all the projects in the Narmada basin. This includes the engineering works, R&R programmes and environment protection measures. Other important functions of the authority are storage and regulation of Narmada Waters; sharing of power from Sardar Sarovar project; regulate release of water from Madhya Pradesh and sharing of costs.
The Brahmaputra Board was constituted by the central government of India under the Brahmaputra Board Act of 1980. The board was set up under the Ministry of Irrigation, which has been renamed as the Ministry of Water Resources. The board was set up to plan and implement measures for flood control and river bank erosion in the Brahmaputra Valley. The main functions of the board are to carry out survey and investigation in the Brahmaputra Valley; prepare master plan for improvement of drainage, flood control and bank erosion; prepare reports and assesses estimates of project proposed under the master plan; and to lay down standards and specification of projects in the Brahmaputra Valley. In addition, the board can also develop multi-purpose dam under its master plan with approval of the central government. The Brahmaputra Board started functioning from January 1982. It is headquartered in Guwahati, Assam.
Tungabhadra Board was set up in 1953 for completion of Tungabhadra project, its operation and maintenance. The Tungabhadra hydro project on River Tungabhadra in Andhra Pradesh has been completed and has been supplying power to the country for decades. The board, at present, regulates water for irrigation, hydropower generation and other uses from the reservoir of the Tungabhadra dam.
Ganga Flood Control Commission
Ganga Flood Control Commission was set up in April 1972 to plan and implement measures for flood control in the Ganga Basin states. The commission is a subordinate office of the Ministry of Water Resources. The main functions of the commission are according techno-economic appraisal to the flood management schemes in the Ganga basin, implementing and monitoring flood management schemes and also evaluating them. The commission has its headquarters in Patna, Bihar.
With depleting ground water resources and deteriorating quality of ground water, the government of India has put its focus on ground water management and regulation. A major portion of the budget for the water resources of the country has been earmarked for the ground resources management and regulation. In year 2011-12, a total of Rs. 720 crore ($126.29 million USD) budget support was provided to the sector. From this, Rs. 117 crore ($20.52 million USD) was allocated to the groundwater related works. These included carrying out ground water management studies, designing ground water development and management plan. It also included exploration, assessment, monitoring ground water levels in the country. The budget also had provisions for procurement of equipment for strengthening of infrastructure to help in these objectives.
Apart from ground water, research & development in the water resources sector and development of water resources information system are other major areas of focus for the central government. The R&D programs had budgetary allocation of Rs. 45.89 crore ($8.04 million USD) in 2011-12. The objectives of the R&D scheme are to carry out researches and conduct studies to improve the efficiency of the existing water resource facilities. Besides, the scheme will also include improving the availability of technology and engineering processes in the sector. The main objective of the R&D schemes in water resources is to identify solutions for the problems related to the water resources sector in the country. A total of Rs. 46.84 crore ($8.21 million USD) was allocated for development of Water Resources Information System in 2011-12. The scheme was proposed with the objective of optimal utilization of water resources in the country.
In total, plan outlay for major and medium irrigation works for the year 2011-12 was Rs. 273.89 crore ($48.04 million USD); minor irrigation was Rs. 130.4 crore ($22.87 million USD), flood control and irrigation was Rs. 161 crore ($8.24 million USD); other transport services was Rs. 70.4 crore ($12.28 million USD); and schemes for benefit of north eastern region and Sikkim was Rs. 84.31 crore ($14.78 million USD).
Saving Narmada
Narmada project is one of the most controversial dam projects in India. It involves construction of 3,200 large, medium and small dams across River Narmada, which flows through three states – Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Sardar Sarovar Dam is the largest dam on the river. Saving Narmada Movement (Narmada Bachao Andolan) is leading the protest against the construction of Sardar Sarovar project and other projects on River Narmada. The activists have claimed that the project will displace more than 200,000 people and also affect the ecology of the region. The work on the project in 1994 was stopped when the World Bank and other international financial institutions financial institutions withdrew from the project. The Supreme Court of India gave a go ahead to the project in year 2000 with the dam height of 90 meters, against the initially proposed height of 140 meters. After completing 90 meters, the developers sought permission to increase the dam height and raised it to 100 meters. The additional increase of height met with huge protests from Narmada Bachao Andolan.
Understanding the Narmada Controversy (by Dinkar Shukla, Press Information Bureau)
The World’s First Anti-Dam Movement (by Ramachandra Guha, The Hindu)
Water Allocation from River Cauvery
The dispute over water allocation on River Cauvery has been going on for almost past three decades as the states involved – Tamil Nadu and Karnataka – have failed to reach at an agreement with respect to sharing of water from the River. Despite several attempts by the center, the matter still needs to be resolved.
TN, K’taka in Cauvery Dispute (The Statesman)
Karnataka to Move SC over Cauvery Dispute (Deccan Herald)
Superbugs in India Drinking Water
Scientists in United Kingdom claimed that the drinking water supplied in India has “superbugs” – NDM 1 Gene. The bug was also named after New Delhi that created furor in the country. According to the report, New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM) 1 gene is found in the city’s water supply. This gene makes bacteria highly resistant to all known drugs. In a statement to the press, Union Health Minister of India Ghulam Nabi Azad stated: “It (superbug) is universal and is found in the intestine of humans and animals. It is wrong to say that it is found only in India and Pakistan. They say it was found in patients who visit India and Pakistan. The study nowhere mentions if the bacteria were found even before those persons visited India.” However, many scientists in India have mentioned that the fact should not be ignored that the gene has been found in the water samples collected from the Capital and a collective approach should be taken to curb its spread.
Naming Superbug After Delhi Triggers Ethical Debate (by Kounteya Sinha, Times Of India)
India Being Wrongly Blamed for Bacteria in Drinking Water: Govt (India Today)
Groundwater Unsafe for Drinking
Groundwater in almost 33% of India has been found unfit for drinking. Groundwater remains one of the main supplies of drinking water in the country and the unsafe levels of irons found in the groundwater of the country in many districts have raised questions over the government’s assurance of providing safe drinking water for all by 2012.
Groundwater in 33% of India Undrinkable (Times of India)
The Indian Rivers Inter-link Project
The Indian Rivers Inter-link project is a massive project envisaged by the government of the country. The project involves linking the river basins through canals to channelize the excess water from floods in one river to the other rivers where the flow is not adequate. The ambitious project by the government has been under discussion for a long time. Though the project has irrigational benefits, the cost of the magnanimous project has been a topic of debate. Many institutions in the country have also questioned the feasibility of the project.
Pro-Indian Rivers Inter-Link
Linking rivers from water surplus areas to deficient ones will help those areas. Additionally, it will address problems between states who share rivers. For instance, two southern states Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been fighting over the Cauvery river for over a century.
Grand Distraction Called River Interlinking (by Sunita Narain, Down to Earth)
Anti-Indian Rivers Inter-Link
Some critics say that diverting water will help drier areas is false. Most river basins today are overused and in most regions tension is growing between old rural users and new industrial and urban users. According to K. J. Joy of the Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts states with a design that consists of 30 projects involving 80 dams there could be disastrous environmental issues not considered. There would also be displacement of people and the Indian government does not have a good track record in resettling.
Experts Object To River Linking Project (Indian Express)
Drive to Link Indian Rivers (by Abhishek Prabhat, BBC News)
Groundwater Bill
One of the major concerns for the government today is depleting ground water resources of the country. In Delhi there is an inadequate supply of piped water. Combined with the city growing 47% in the last decade, Delhi’s groundwater levels plummeted, with many wells drying in critical areas of south and southwest.
Depleting resources have also led to people now digging deeper in the ground to extract water. This is contaminating the remaining groundwater reserves. In view of the situation the government is contemplating taxing the use of ground water in Delhi. The draft bill requires mandatory registration of all wells in Delhi, authorized and illegal. The groundwater bill is likely to be discussed in the upcoming monsoon session of the Delhi Assembly.
Pro-Groundwater Bill
Once wells are registered, they can be measured to check on illegal water removal.
Unauthorized Delhi neighborhoods (generally slums) typically are not serviced by the Delhi Jal Board (water board), so residents rely on water from illegal sources, including unregistered water tanks. The bill would also require tankers registration and their movements tracked ensuring that only authorized tankers are able to extract water. Currently Delhi is experiencing massive unauthorized water extraction by private parties which the sell water for exorbitant sums.
Groundwater May Be Taxed, Bill in Cabinet (by Neha Lalchandani, Times of India)
Anti-Groundwater Bill
Critics say that while the Delhi Jal Board cannot provide adequate water, most of its money gets wasted in projects no where near completion so it has no right to implement this law. Also, unless there are strong enforcement measures, the Bill won’t work.
You May Have To Pay For Groundwater Use (by Neha Lalchandani, Times of India)
Water management reforms have been suggested by most institutions and stakeholders of the sector. Reform in allocation of water to different states and sectors, storage of water, modes of delivery will result in overall improvement in management of water resources of the country. Another major suggestion by most industry stakeholders, as well as external agencies, is to utilize the existing infrastructure for efficient water management and not spend additional time and money in construction of new structures as many old structures remain unused or poorly-maintained.
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