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It is now known what the current status of freshwater all around the globe as well as in India is. Our country can face a water risk situation with rapid modernization, urbanization, and poor water management. Now, what exactly does water management/ water resource management mean? What are its objectives? Who are the stakeholders contributing to these water management projects/schemes? Let us find out!
The water resources available in India are observed to be depleting day by day, due to growing population, over-consumption, climate change, industrialization, etc. These are creating a huge challenge for the management of water resources. The principles of water management summarized by GWP (Global Warming Potential) states that ‘integrated water resource management is based on the equitable and efficient management and sustainable use of water and recognises that water is an integral part of the ecosystem, a natural resource and a social and economic good, whose quantity and quality determine the nature of its utilization.’ Effective management of water resources across all water uses disciplines is necessary to save the country from facing a water crisis to a greater extent. It is a way to protect the environment, stimulate economic growth along with sustainable development in the agricultural sector and improve human health.
Water resource management can be said as a process that includes planning, developing and managing the quantity and quality of the existing water resources in all aspects. It also includes the institutions, infrastructure and information systems that support and guide water management. As per the World Bank, ‘water resource management seeks to harness the benefits of water by ensuring there is sufficient water for adequate quality for drinking water and sanitation services, food production, energy generation, inland water transport and water-based recreational, as well as sustaining healthy water-dependent ecosystems and protecting the aesthetic and spiritual values of lakes, rivers, and estuaries.’
The main goal of any nation should be to achieve water security. For that purpose, it is essential to consider all the facets like water scarcity, degradation of the water quality, unpredictability in case of droughts and floods, which require an integrated approach towards water management that would last for a longer period. All these facets cannot have a single path that will lead to water security as predicting and planning is impossible due to growing population and climatic uncertainties. It can be achieved over some time after building capacities, inducing adaptabilities, and creating resilience for future planning and management.
There are 20 basins in India which are the country’s only surface water resources. The data of these resources is maintained basin-wise and not state-wise. The state government takes care of the steps for augmentation, conservation and efficient management of these basins. Water augmentation is an arrangement where recycled water is let into the reservoirs to supply it to different sectors. The technical and financial assessment is done by the country’s central government. If the potential of every basin is considered, India’s largest river in terms of catchment, i.e. river Brahmaputra has the most as compared to other basins. The chart below gives a clear overview of the water resource potential of the Indian basins. All these figures are dependent on the location and climate condition.
For effective water management, the following points need to be considered:
Along with this, reuse of wastewater, recovery of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus is also becoming an important strategy. In the case of water safety plans, it is essential to manage the risks right from the catchment to the consumer effectively and accomplish health-based targets.
In 1982, the National Development Council welcomed the proposal of the Government of India of setting up the National Water Resources Council (NWRC). NWRC further created the National Water Policy in 1987 which handled the planning and operation of systems, water allocation priorities for different sectors, deciding the water rates, making master plans for flood control and management, reclaiming the water/logged / saline affected land by scientific and cost-effective methods, and many more responsibilities. It is reviewed by the NWRC from time to time and make necessary changes if required.
The Government of India also established a National Action Plan on Climate Change which includes the National Water Mission. It was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2011. The prime objective of this National Water Mission is ‘conservation of water, minimizing wastage and ensuring its more equitable distribution both across and within states of India through integrated water resource development and management.’ The mission has already identified the strategies which lead to integrated planning for sustainable development with the active involvement of the stakeholders. The prime objectives of the National Water Mission are:
An excellent example of proper water management is the country Israel. Israel is known as one of the most water-stressed countries in the world and the need to ensure water security is profound. The country has come up with a combination of institutional and regulatory reforms essential to achieve water security and they are as follows:
From their water management schemes, the one thing which stands out is that policy setting, regulation and planning, and operation of infrastructure should be done separately.
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