National Water Policy and Status

A Presentation By Kallol Saha

National Workshop on ‘Sustainable

Development of Water Resources ’

Organised By : TATA STEEL

11.12.2015-12.12.2015

BACKGROUND INFORMATION The National Water Policy of the Government of India was first

enunciated in 1987. The policy laid down an allocation prioritization principle for water in order of Drinking Water, Irrigation,ƒ. Hydro-power, Navigation, Industrial and other uses

The National Water Policy (NWP 2002) was subsequently introduced in relation to the rapidly changing scenario in the domain of water to address the emerging issues and provide critical policy inputs. NWP 2002 gave emphasis for the first time to ecological and environmental aspects of water allocation.

The National Water Policy (NWP 2012) calls for a common integrated perspective to govern the planning and management of water resources. Such a perspective would consider local, regional, and national contexts and be environmentally sound. The Policy clearly states that water needs to be managed as a common

pool community resource that is held by the State to ensure equitable and sustainable development for all.

FLOWOF PRESENTATION: Key Contents

SL No Topic Section No. Slide Number Total Slide

1 Preamble : Concern 1 4-7 4

2 Preamble: Principle 1 8-10 2

3 Frame Work Law 2 11 1

4 Uses of Water 3 12 1

5 Climate Change 4 13 1

6 Enhancing Availability 5 14 1

7 Demand Management 6 15 1

8 Water Pricing 7 16 1

9 Conservation 8 17 1

10 Project Planning 9 18 1

11 Flood Management 10 19 1

12 Drinking Water Supply

& Sanitation

11 20 1

Flow of Presentation: Key Contents

SL No Topic Section

No.

Slide Number Total Slide

12 Institutional Arrangement 12 21 1

13 Trans-boundary issues 13 22 1

14 Database Management 14 22 1

15 Research & Training 15 23 1

16 Implementation 16 24 1

17 Few Notable Facts NA 25 1

18 Major Features NA 26 1

19 Voice of Concern NA 27 1

20 Changing the Picture NA 28 1

21 Picturing the Change NA 29 1

22 Discussion (Movie) NA 30 1

23 Vote of Thanks NA 1 1

SECTION 1: PREAMBLE: OBJECTIVE

1. India w.r.t. World

>18 % population, 4% renewable water resources, 2.4% of

land area

Challenges

Flood & Draught, Growing Population, Rising Need, Climate Change

Mismanagement, Wastage, and Inefficient use, as also Pollution and

reduction of flows

Objective :

Propose a framework for creation of a system of laws and

institutions and for a plan of action with a unified national

perspective

SECTION 1: PREAMBLE : CONCERNS

1. Water stress pose serious challenges to water security.

2. Inadequate address of water governance issues and

Mismanagement of water resources

3. Wide temporal and spatial variation in availability

causing deepening of water crisis and incidences of

water related disasters

4. Climate Changed induced sea level upraise leading to

salinity intrusion and coastal inundation

5. Lack of Access to safe water for drinking and other

domestic needs causing social unrest.

SECTION 1: PREAMBLE: CONCERNS

6. Groundwater is perceived as an individual property and is exploited inequitably leading to its over-exploitation in several areas.

7. Water resources projects are being planned and implemented without giving due consideration to optimum utilization, environment sustainability and holistic benefit

8. Inter-regional, inter-State, intra-State, as also inter-sectoral disputes in sharing of water hampering the optimal utilization of water

9. Grossly inadequate maintenance of existing irrigation infrastructure leading to a widening gap between irrigation potential created and utilized.

10. Natural water bodies and drainage channels are being encroached upon, and diverted for other purposes. Groundwater recharge zones are often blocked.

SECTION 1: PREAMBLE: CONCERNS 11. Growing pollution of water sources, especially through industrial

effluents, is affecting the availability of safe water

12. Access to water for sanitation and hygiene and lack of sewage treatment leading to Water Pollution

13. Low consciousness about the overall scarcity and economic value of water

14. The lack of adequate trained personnel for planning, utilizing modern techniques and analytical capabilities incorporating information technology

15. A holistic and inter-disciplinary approach at water related problems is missing.

16. The public agencies in charge of water related decisions tend to take these on their own without consultation with stakeholders

17. Changing Characteristics of catchment areas of streams, rivers and recharge zones of aquifers affecting water availability and quality.

SECTION 1: PREAMBLE: BASIC

PRINCIPLES

1. Common Integrated Perspective up to National Context

2. Equity and social justice

3. Transparent Informed Decision making

4. Common pool community resource held by the state

1. Food security

2. Support livelihood

3. Equitable and sustainable development

5. Minimum ecological needs should be given due

consideration

SECTION 1: PREAMBLE: BASIC

PRINCIPLES

6. Safe Water for drinking and sanitation should be considered as pre-emptive

needs, followed by

A. Other basic domestic needs (including needs of animals), achieving food security,

supporting sustenance agriculture and minimum eco-system needs

7. Basic hydrological unit is the river basin

8. Meeting the future needs will depend more on demand management

A. Evolving an agricultural system which economizes on water use and maximizes value

from water

B. Bringing in maximum efficiency in use of water and avoiding wastages

9. Water quality and quantity are interlinked to be managed using economic

incentives and penalties

10. The impact of climate change on water resources availability must be

factored into management decisions

SECTION 2: WATER FRAMEWORK LAW

1. Need a National Framework Law 1. Governing the exercise of legislative and/or executive (or devolved)

powers by the Centre, the States and the local governing bodies

2. Leading the way for legislation on water governance in every State of the Union and devolution of necessary authority to the lower tiers of government

2. The Framework law to recognize water 1. As scarce resource

2. As a sustainers of life and ecology

3. To be managed as a community resource held by the state

3. Need for comprehensive legislation For optimum development of inter-State rivers and river

valleys Facilitate inter-State coordination

Enable establishment of basin Regulatory authorities, comprising party States

SECTION 3: USES OF WATER 1. Awareness of water as a scarce resource

2. Ensure access to a minimum quantity of potable water for essential health and hygiene to all its citizens

3. Ecological needs of the river should be determined 1. A portion of river flows should be kept aside to meet ecological needs

proportional to the natural flow regime

4. Rivers and other water bodies should be considered for development for navigation as far as possible

5. In the eastern and north eastern regions of India, the water use infrastructure needs to be strengthened in the interest of food security

6. Community should be sensitized and encouraged to adapt first to utilization of water as per local availability of waters, before providing water through long distance transfer.

Community based Water Management to be institutionalized and strengthened

Section 4: ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE

CHANGE

1. Special impetus should be given towards mitigation at micro level by

enhancing the capabilities of community to adopt climate resilient options.

2. The anticipated increase in variability in availability of water should be

dealt with by increasing water storage Structure and incentivizing the States

for the same

1. should include revival of traditional water harvesting structures and water bodies.

3. The adaptation strategies could also include better demand management,

1. Through adoption of compatible agricultural strategies

2. Cropping patterns and improved water application methods

4. Stakeholder participation for evolving different agricultural strategies,

reducing soil erosion and improving soil fertility should be promoted.

1. The specific problems of hilly areas should be adequately addressed.

5. Planning and management of water resources structures, should incorporate

coping strategies

Section 5: ENHANCING WATER AVAILABLE FOR

USE

1. Water Resource Estimation in a Regular Interval

2. Availability of water for utilization needs to be augmented to meet

increasing demands using New Technologies

3. Periodic participatory mapping of Aquifer and estimation of Ground Water

Resources.

4. In over-exploited areas Water flow to be arrested to ensure extraction is less

than Recharge by

1. Introducing improved technologies of water use,

2. Incentivizing efficient water use

3. Encouraging community based management of aquifers

5. Inter-basin transfers of water should be considered on the basis of merits of

each case

6. Integrated Watershed development activities with groundwater to increase

soil moisture, reduce sediment yield and increase overall land and water

productivity.

1. Existing programs like MGNREGA may be used to harvest rain water

Section 6: DEMAND MANAGEMENT AND

WATER USE EFFICIENCY

1. A system and institutional Arrangement to evolve benchmarks for water uses for different purposes

o Water Foot Print, Water Audit studies to be promoted all across

2. Project Appraisal & Environmental Clearance to mention Water Footprint

3. Recycle and reuse of water to be a General norm

4. Water saving in irrigation use is emphasized o Micro irrigation (drip, sprinkler, etc.), automated irrigation

operation, evaporation-transpiration reduction

5. Use of very small local level irrigation to be encouraged o Small bunds, field ponds, agricultural and engineering methods and

practices for watershed development

6. Concurrent monitoring involving users o In problematic areas

SECTION 7: WATER PRICING 1. Water Pricing to promote Conservation and Reuse setting up independent

statutory Water Regulatory Authority by each State

2. The water charges should preferably / as a rule be determined on volumetric basis and should be reviewed periodically

3. Recycle and reuse of water, after treatment to specified standards, should be incentivized

4. Differential and favourable pricing for Drinking Water and Sanitation ,Followed by Food Security Requirements

o For others Allocation & Pricing should be on economic principles

5. Water Users Associations (WUAs) should be given statutory powers

o Collect and retain a portion of water charges, manage the volumetric quantum of water allotted to them , maintain the distribution system, Fix Rates

6. Over-Drawal of groundwater to be minimized by regulating electricity for its extraction

o Dedicated Electric Feeders for Ground Water based projects

Section 8:CONSERVATION OF RIVER CORRIDORS,

WATER BODIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE

1. Conservation of rivers, water bodies and infrastructure should be undertaken scientifically through community participation

2. Encroachments and diversion of water bodies and drainage channels must not be allowed

3. Strict Regulation of Encroachment and Development Activities

4. Environmental needs of Himalayan regions, aquatic eco-system, wet lands and embanked flood plains to be considered

5. Strict Punitive action against Source Pollution

6. Quality Conservation of Ground Water

7. Proper maintenance and cost recovery through user charges for Infrastructure

8. Legally empowered Dam Safety Service to be instituted

SECTION 9: PROJECT PLANNING &

IMPLEMENTATION

1. Projects should be planned as per the efficiency benchmarks to be prescribed for various situations

2. Planning to consider social and environmental aspects in addition to techno-economic considerations in consultation with project affected and beneficiary families

3. Considering the heavy economic loss due to delay in implementation of projects, all clearances be made time bound

4. Concurrent Monitoring by State and Centre to minimize over runs

5. Projects should be planned and executed in a manner so that intended benefits start accruing immediately

6. Local Governing body to be involved in planning

7. Projects should preferably be multipurpose in nature

SECTION 10 : MANAGEMENT OF FLOOD &

DRAUGHT

1. Emphasis should be on preparedness for flood / drought with coping

mechanisms as an option

o Greater emphasis on rehabilitation of natural drainage system

2. Land, soil, energy and water management with scientific inputs from

local, research and scientific institutions

3. To prevent loss of land eroded by the river, measures should be planned

and maintained on the basis of morphological studies

4. Flood forecasting should be modernized using real time data acquisition

system and linked to forecasting models

5. Operating procedures for reservoirs should be evolved to have flood

cushion and to reduce trapping of sediment

6. Methods for coping with floods and droughts have to be encouraged

o Frequency based flood inundation maps should be prepared to evolve coping

strategies

7. Involve Affected community and academia in disaster mitigation

SECTION 11: WATER SUPPLY &

SANITATION

1. Removal of disparity between stipulations for water supply in urban areas and in rural areas

o Least water intensive sanitation and sewerage systems to be incentivised

2. Urban and rural domestic water supply should preferably be from surface water in conjunction with groundwater and rainwater

3. Urban domestic water systems need to collect and publish water accounts and water audit reports

4. In urban and industrial areas, rainwater harvesting and de-salinization, wherever techno-economically feasible, should be encouraged

5. Urban water supply and sewage treatment schemes should be integrated and executed simultaneously

6. Industries in water short regions may be allowed to either withdraw only the make up water or should have an obligation to return treated effluent .

7. Subsidies and incentives should be implemented to encourage recovery of industrial pollutants and recycling / reuse, which are otherwise capital intensive.

SECTION12: INSTITUTIONAL

ARRANGEMENT

Forum at National & State Level

A permanent Water Disputes Tribunal at the Centre

Water resources projects and services should be managed with community participation. The State Governments / urban local bodies may associate private

sector in public private partnership mode with penalties for failure, under regulatory control on prices charged and service standards with full accountability to democratically elected local

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) taking river basin / sub-basin as a unit

Appropriate institutional arrangements for each river basin for Data Collection, Water Audit and Monitoring

States should be encouraged and incentivized to undertake reforms ,innovations and conservations

SECTION 13: TRANSBOUNDARY RIVERS &

SECTION14: DATA BASE

1. International agreements with neighbouring countries on bilateral basis for exchange of hydrological data of international rivers on near real time basis

2. In consultative association with riparian States keeping paramount the national interest and setting up institutional Arrangement

3. All Hydrological Data shall be placed in Public Domain on GIS platform establishing a National Water Informatics Centre

4. More data about snow and glaciers, evaporation, tidal hydrology and hydraulics, river geometry changes, erosion, sedimentation, etc. is needed

o A dedicated program to be started

5. All Water related data should be integrated with well defined procedures and formats to ensure online updating

SECTION 15: RESEARCH & TRAINING

NEEDS

Innovations in water resources sector should be encouraged, recognized and awarded

Seeks adequate grants to the States Update technology & practices

Preparation of annual water balances and accounts

Preparation of hydrologic balances for water systems benchmarking

A re-training and quality improvement programme for water planners and managers at all levels both in private and public sectors On IT enabled solutions and analytical methods

autonomous center for research in water policy

Regular training and academic courses in water management should be promoted National Water Literacy campaign may be taken up

SECTION 16 : IMPLEMENTATION OF

NATIONAL WATER POLICY

National Water Board should prepare a plan of action

based on the National Water Policy, as approved by the

National Water Resources Council, and to regularly

monitor its implementation.

The State Water Policies may need to be drafted/revised in

accordance with this policy keeping in mind the basic

concerns and principles as also a unified national

perspective.

Revisiting National Water Policy 2012: A

Few Notable Facts

India accounts for 15% of the world population and about 4% of the world’s water resources. One of the solutions to solve the country’s water woes is to link the rivers.

India has been successful in creating live water storage capacity of about 253 billion cubic meter(BCM) so far. In a first, the ecological needs of river have also been taken into consideration.

The main emphasis of National Water Policy 2012 is to treat water as economic good which the ministry claims to promote its conservation and efficient use. This provision intended for the privatization of water-delivery services is being criticized from various quarters.

The policy also does away with the priorities for water allocation mentioned in 1987 and 2002 versions of the policy. The policy was adopted with a disapproval from many states.

Recapitulation: The major features To ensure access to a minimum quantity of potable water for

essential health and hygiene to all citizens, available within easy reach of the household

To curtail subsidy to agricultural electricity users

Setting up of Water Regulatory Authority

To keep aside a portion of the river flow to meet the ecological needs and to ensure that the low and high flow releases correspond in time closely to the natural flow regime.

To give statutory powers to Water Users Associations to maintain the distribution system

Project benefited families to bear part of the cost of resettlement & rehabilitation of project affected families

To remove the large disparity between stipulations for water supply in urban areas and in rural areas

To support a National Water Framework Law

Voice of Concern: Critics of NWP 2012

Paradigm shift in approach from service provider of water to facilitator of service.

Policy does not deter use among those who can afford to pay for water.

PPP mode may not ensure equity.

Policy does not follow polluter pay principle, rather it gives incentives for effluent treatment.

Policy was criticized for terming Water as an economic good.

Ramaswamy Iyer, principal draftsman of the 1987 policy is critical of the

draft policy for simultaneously advocating community participation, public

trust doctrine and PPP. “The draft fails to recognise that we cannot simply

assert a number of propositions without considering their inter-

relationships (and possible contradictions),” he says

For Jharkhand : There is a Need to Change this

Picture

Palamu

Garhwa Godda

Saraikela

To Jharkhand: Picturing these changes would be Key

to Secured Future

Exploration For Arsenic

Free Water in Sahebganj

Dam and Lake Ranchi

Shifting to Surface Source,

Sahebganj

Wear at Deoghar

Let’s Talk about it ?

Thank you For Your Cooperation

For More Details Please Contact;

Kallol Saha

Director-2,Program Management Unit,

State Water and Sanitation Mission ,Jharkhand

Research Fellow, School of Water Resource Engineering

,Jadavpur University , Post Graduate Diploma in Rural

Management, Institute of Rural Management Anand,

Master of Science, (Applied Geology), Jadavpur University

Visiting Faculty : Cooperative Management

Xavier Institute of Social Service , Ranchi ,Jharkhand

Address For Communication:

Flat No. 2 D Block B Jayashri Green City, Pundag Road,

Argora Chowk, Ranchi -834002 ,Jharkhand

E-Mail: kallosh74@gmail.com

Phone: +919471710631