Water Governance in India

Why in News?

India aspires to become the 2^nd largest economy by 2047 which will have an enormous impact on the use of water resources and thus highlights the need for effective water governance.

What is water governance?

• Water governance – The OECD define water governance as the set of rules, practices, and processes through which decisions for the management of water resources and services are taken and implemented, and decision-makers are held accountable.
• Actors involved – Central and local governments, regulators, NGOs, communities, and the private sector.

• Need for water governance – India is a water stressed country due to erratic rainfall and excess removal of groundwater
• The data (1990-2021) show that about 30% of the districts received less than normal South-west monsoon rainfall in 20 out of 32 years.
• Out of 766 districts, 256 districts are water stressed.
• By 2050, India is likely to experience water scarcity.
• There are bureaucratic hurdles like Easement Act 1882, is still followed which gives unlimited power of groundwater withdrawal to the owner of land.
• There is a lack of equity in water access.

At 1.4 billion, India accounts 17.5% of the world’s population but has only 4% of the fresh water resources. The per capita annual fresh water availability has gone down from 5177 cu m (1951) to 1486 cu m (2019).

What is the significance of water governance?

• It ensures the sustainable and efficient use of water resources, address water-related challenges.
• It promotes equitable access to water services.
• It is also essential to address water-related challenges, such as water scarcity, water quality degradation, and climate change.

What are challenges in water governance?

• Fragmented policies – Owing to different jurisdiction and control of States, the interconnectedness of surface and groundwater systems resulted in fragmented policies.
• Data gaps – Data is scattered across multiple agencies, and inadequate for sound decision-making.
• Looming Water Crisis – A NITI Aayog report held that 21 major cities are expected to run out of groundwater as soon as 2020 which may affect nearly 100 million people.
• Absence of River Boards – While the River Boards Act was passed in 1956, no river board was ever created till this date.
• Federal issue – In India, water is a State subject except inter-State regulation of rivers which is under Central purview

What is the agenda for action?

• To work for cooperative federalism in water governance.
• To revamp existing National Water Resource Council.
• To introduce an overarching institution for regulating the entire water sector at the State level.
  • At present, only 5 states have water regulators in India.
• To develop a model water regulatory framework for adoption by various States.
• To restructure the CWC (Central Water Commission) and CGWB (Central Ground Water Board).
• To adopt multidisciplinary expertise, bridging silos in water sector, and building multi-stakeholder partnership.

References

1. The Hindu Business Line| Need of Water Governance Reforms
2. The Indian Express| Water governance challenges in India