India’s Water Governance

Syllabus: GS2/Governance; GS3/Water Conservation

Context

• Prime Minister Modi shared an article highlighting India’s comprehensive vision for achieving a water-secure future.

Highlights of the Article

• India’s approach to water governance is built on a foundation of conservation, sustainable use, and active community involvement. 
• It further underscores how the creation of the Jal Shakti Ministry marked a decisive shift towards holistic and integrated water management across the country.

Water Availability in India

• India holds 18% of the world’s population but only 4% of its freshwater resources, placing enormous pressure on available water systems. 
• According to the Annual Ground Water Quality Report 2024 by the Central Groundwater Board (CGWB) under the Jal Shakti Ministry, the average stage of groundwater extraction in India stands at 60.4%.
• Southern states, particularly Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, are facing the most severe and multidimensional water challenges in the country.

Water Governance in India

• Constitutional Provisions
  • State Subject: Water is primarily under Entry 17 of State List (Seventh Schedule).
  • Union Role: Regulation of inter-state rivers under Entry 56 of Union List.
  • Article 262: Parliament can adjudicate inter-state water disputes.

Key Issues in Water Governance in India

• Fragmented Institutional Framework: Water governance in India is highly fragmented due to its placement in the State List, which leads to jurisdictional conflicts between states.
• Predominance of Engineering-Centric Approach: Water management policies in India have historically focused on large-scale infrastructure such as dams, canals, and irrigation systems.
  • This approach prioritises supply augmentation while neglecting ecological sustainability and demand management.
• Agricultural Policies: Agricultural policies promoting water-intensive crops such as rice and wheat have led to excessive groundwater extraction.
• Lack of Ecosystem-Based Approach: Water governance does not adequately incorporate the interlinkages between land, water, and ecosystems.
  • Environmental flows (e-flows) are often ignored, leading to degradation of rivers and wetlands.
• Weak Data Systems: There is a lack of reliable, comprehensive, and accessible water data across the country.
  • This leads to poor planning, inefficient allocation, and unregulated extraction of water resources.
• Neglect of Demand-Side Management: Water policies largely focus on increasing supply rather than managing demand.
  • Limited attention is given to water-use efficiency, conservation practices, and rational pricing.

Need for a Paradigm Shift

• There is a need to move from a fragmented and engineering-dominated approach to a comprehensive governance framework.
• Water must be treated as a shared and finite resource, requiring coordinated management across sectors.
• The focus should shift from supply augmentation to sustainability, efficiency, and equity.

Government Initiatives

• Jal Shakti Abhiyan (2019): Focuses on water conservation and groundwater recharge in water-stressed districts.
• AMRUT 2.0 scheme was launched in the 2021 in all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)/ cities, enabling the cities to become ‘self-reliant’ and ‘water secure’.
  • Rejuvenation of water bodies and development of green spaces and parks are other components of the mission.
• Amrit Sarovar Mission: Aims to develop and rejuvenate 75 water bodies per district.
• National Aquifer Mapping Program (NAQUIM): Helps delineate and understand aquifers for sustainable management.
• Atal Bhujal Yojana, was launched to improve groundwater management in priority areas with critical and overexploited blocks.
• Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM): To enable every rural household in the country to have assured potable water; since 2019, Government in partnership with states, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
  • This initiative facilitates adequate quantities of prescribed quality water on a regular and long-term basis, through tap water connection.

Source: PIB