[Indian Year Book 2022-23]* Indian Year Book Notes | Chapter 23. Water Resources

 

Indian Year Book

(2022-23)

Chapter – 23. Water Resources

 

Ø  In 1985, the Ministry of Irrigation was combined under the Ministry of Irrigation and Power. However, in re-organisation of the ministries of the central government in September 1985, the then Ministry of Irrigation and Power was bifurcated and the Department of Irrigation was re-constituted as the Ministry of Water Resources.

Ø   The Ministry of Water Resources plays a nodal role in regard to all matters concerning the country’s water resources.

Ø   The Ministry of Water Resources was renamed in 2019 as Ministry of Jal Shakti Or Jal Shakti Mantralaya) with two departments, i.e., Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

 

Water Availability

Ø  The average annual water availability of any region or country is largely dependent upon hydrometeorological and geological factors.

Ø   India receives mean annual precipitation of about 3,880 Billion Cubic Metre (BCM).

Ø   The average annual water availability, after evaporation, is assessed at 1,999.20 BCM.

Ø   The utilisable water available is limited to 1,122 BCM per annum, comprising of 690 BCM of surface water around 699 BCM, comprising 450 BCM of surface water and 249 BCM of groundwater.

Ø   Total requirement of the country for different uses for high demand scenario for the years 2025 and 2050 has been assessed as 843 BCM and 1,180 BCM, respectively.

Ø  Water availability per person declines progressively with the increase in population. For India, the average annual per capita water availability of water for the years 2001 and 2011 was assessed at 1,816 cubic metres and 1,545 cubic metres, respectively.

Ø   The average annual per capita water availability is projected to further reduce to 1,340 cubic metres and 1,140 cubic metres in the years 2025 and 2050, respectively.

 

Note

Ø  As per Falkenmark Indicator, annual per capita water availability of less than 1,700 cubic metres is considered as water stressed condition.

Ø  Whereas annual per capita water availability below 1,000 cubic metres is considered as a water scarcity condition.

 

National Water Policy

Ø  The National Water Policy, 2012, was adopted by the National Water Resources Council.

Ø  The policy emphasises:

·         the need for a national water framework law

·         comprehensive legislation for optimum development of inter-state rivers and river valleys

·         evolving a system of benchmarks for water uses for different purposes to ensure effi cient use of water

·          setting up of water regulatory authority by each state

·          incentivising recycle and reuse of water

·          emphasis on community participation in management of water resources projects and services

·          incentivising water saving in irrigation through methods like micro-irrigation, automated irrigation operation, etc

·         undertaking conservation of rivers, river corridors, water bodies and infrastructure in a scientifi cally planned manner through community participation

·          arresting declining groundwater levels in over-exploited areas

 

National Water Mission

Ø  National Water Mission (NWM) was set up as per the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).

Ø  Objective: The main objective of the NWM is “conservation of water, minimising wastage and ensuring its more equitable distribution both across and within states through integrated water resources development and management”.

Ø  Goals: The five identifi ed goals of the Mission are:

·         comprehensive water database in public domain and assessment of impact of climate change on water resources

·         promotion of citizen and state action for water conservation, augmentation and preservation y focused attention to vulnerable areas including over-exploited areas

·         increasing water use efficiency by 20 per cent

·         promotion of basin level integrated water resources management.

Ø  NWM Web Portal: An independent web portal of NWM has been launched, which aims at providing all the information relating to water resources, organisations and their activities on different aspects of water resources at one point.

·         NWM has identifi ed eight river basins (Mahanadi, Mahi, Luni, Tapi, Sutlej, Sabarmati, Subarnarekha and west- fl owing rivers from Tadri to Kanyakumari) for study of impact of climate change in association with research institutes like IlTs, NITs, 11Sc and NIH under the R&D scheme of the Ministry.

 

National Water Awards

Ø  The Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has instituted National Water Awards.

Ø  Awards are given for various categories including Best State, Best District, Best Village Panchayat, Best Municipal Corporation/Other Municipal Bodies, Best Schools, Best TV Show, Best Newspaper, etc., in the fi eld of water conservation.

 

Jal Shakti Abhiyan

Ø  Ministry of Jal Shakti has taken up the “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain” (JSA:CTR).

Ø  Theme: Its theme is “Catch the Rain - Where it Falls When it Falls” to cover all the blocks of all districts (rural as well as urban areas) across the country.

Ø  It was launched on March 22, 2021, the World Water Day.

Ø  Major Interventions: The fi ve major interventions of the campaign include

·         water conservation and rainwater harvesting.

·         renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks

·          reuse and recharge of bore wells y watershed development

·          intensive afforestation

Ø  Other activities proposed to be taken up during the campaign include:

·         rooftop Rain Water Harvesting Structures (RWHS) on all buildings (with priority for government buildings).

·         water harvesting pits in all compounds.

·         maintenance of old/building of new check dams/ponds.

·         enumerating, geo- tagging and making inventory of all water bodies.

·         preparation of scientifi c plans for water conservation.

·         removal of encroachments of tanks/lakes, de-silting of tanks to increase their storage capacity y removal of obstructions in their channels.

·         repairing of traditional step-wells and other RWHS.

·         usage of defunct bores/unused wells to recharge aquifers.

·         rejuvenation of small rivers and rivulets.

·         revival of wetlands and protection of fl ood banks.

Ø  The works under the mission are taken up in rural areas from funds under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) or the Finance Commission grants or locally mobilised, and in municipalities from Atal Mission forand Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and its own funds.

Ø  National Water Mission has been working in close coordination with central ministries/departments and state governments for the implementation of the campaign.

Ø  National Water Mission has developed an MIS portal (www.jsactr.mowr.gov.in) for monitoring the progress of the campaign and report generation.

 

Sahi Fasal Campaign

Ø  ‘Sahi Fasal’ campaign was launched in 2019 by NWM to push farmers in the water stressed areas to grow crops which are not water intensive, but use water very effi ciently and are economically remunerative, are healthy and nutritious, suited to the agro-climatic-hydro characteristics.

 

National Mission for Clean Ganga

Ø  The Ganga basin accounts for 28 per cent of India’s water resources, holds about 26 per cent of landmass and hosts 43 per cent of the population.

Ø  The main stem of the river traverses fi ve major states namely, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal and travels 2,525 km.

Ø  The Ganga River basin, including all its tributaries, cover about a million square kilometre area in eleven states in the country.

Ø  The Ganga basin exemplifi es a typical “hydraulic civilisation”.

Ø  Besides this, the river is also home to some of exotic marine life such as gharials, turtles, Gangetic dolphins and golden mahaseer, etc.

Ø  The river suffers from high levels of organic and bacterial pollution, about 70 per cent of the pollution is from untreated domestic sewage; 20 per cent is from toxic industrial waste water; and 10 per cent is from non-point sources such as agricultural runoff, open defecation, dumping of solid waste, etc.

Ø  Ganga Action Plan (GAP): The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was launched in 1985 and extended to two phases (GAP I & GAP II) over more than two decades.

·         It focused primarily on urban wastewater and funded a large number of Wastewater Treatment Plants (WVVTPs) and related urban waste water infrastructure.

·         Limitations: (i) insuffi cient investments; (ii) under-utilisation of created capacity; (iii) little ownership of local bodies; (iv) long delays and poor communication resulting in a public relations failure.

Ø  Namami Gange: In 2015, the “Namami Gange”— Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission Programme was launched.

·         This was launched at an indicative cost of Rs. 20,000 crore, as an umbrella programme with an aim to integrate previous and currently ongoing projects and new initiatives planned as its part.

Ø  In 2016, through the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Order 2016, the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) was replaced with National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection and Management of River Ganga.

 

 Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana

Ø  During 2015-16, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) was launched with an aim to enhance physical access of water on farm and expand cultivable area under assured irrigation, improve onfarm water use effi ciency, introduce sustainable water conservation practices, etc.

Ø  The main objectives of the scheme include:

·         achieving convergence of investments in irrigation at the fi eld level

·         enhancing the physical access of water on the farm and expanding cultivable area under assured irrigation

·         improving on-farm water use effi ciency to reduce wastage and increasing availability both in duration and extent

·         enhancing recharge of aquifers and introduce sustainable water conservation practices y promoting extension activities relating to water harvesting, water management and crop alignment for farmers and grassroot level fi eld functionaries; and attracting greater private investments in precision irrigation.

·         Major and medium irrigation/multipurpose irrigation (MMI) projects are being funded under PMKSY and Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies, Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI) projects and Command Area Development & Water Management (CAD&WM) projects are being funded under PMKSY-Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP).

 

Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme

Ø  The Accelerated Irrigation Benefi ts Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996 -97 to provide central assistance to major/medium irrigation projects in the country.

Ø  Its objective is to accelerate implementation of such projects, which were beyond resource capability of the states or were in advanced stages of completion.

Ø  Priority was given to those projects which were started in pre-Fifth and Fifth Plan periods and also to those which were benefi tting tribal and drought-prone areas.

 

Command Area Development and Water Management

Ø  The centrally sponsored Command Area Development (CAD) Programme was launched in 1974-75 for development of adequate delivery system of irrigation water up to farmers’ field.

Ø  Its objective is to enhance water use efficiency and production and productivity of crops per unit of land and water for improving socio-economic condition of farmers.

Ø  The programme was restructured and renamed as Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD&WM) Programme in 2004.

Ø  The programme is under implementation as a sub-component of Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP) component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) from 2015-16 onwards.

Ø  At least 10 per cent Cultivable Command Area (CCA) of each project is to be covered under microirrigation.

 

Flood Management

§  Flood Management Programme

·         During the XI Plan, the government launched Flood Management Programme for providing central assistance to the state governments for undertaking the works related to river management, fl ood control, anti-erosion, drainage development, fl ood proofi ng, restoration of damaged fl ood management works and anti-sea erosion works.

·         Another scheme Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP) was merged with the Flood Management Programme (FMP) and River Management Activities and Works related to Border Areas (RMBA) schemes.

 

River Management Activities related to Border Areas

Ø  This central sector scheme is in place since 2014 to cover the major works/schemes during the XII Plan.

Ø  It is responsible for

·         fl ood forecasting on rivers common to India and Nepal

·         hydrological observations on rivers originating in Bhutan

·         joint observations on rivers common to India and Bangladesh and cooperation with neighbouring countries.

 

Ganga Flood Control Commission

Ø  To effectively tackle critical and chronic fl ood problems in the Ganga Basin, Ganga Flood Control Board (GFCB) was set up in 1972.

Ø  Ganga Flood Control Commission (GFCC), a subordinate offi ce of Ministry of Jai Shakti with its headquarters at Patna, was also created in 1972 to act as the secretariat and executive limb of GFCB and to deal with the fl oods and its management in the Ganga Basin states.

Ø  There are 11 states in the Ganga Basin, namely, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and NCT Delhi.

Ø  The river systems of the Ganga basin are: (1) Gomati, (2) Adhwara Group, (3) Ghaghra, (4) Mahananda, (5) Kamla Balan, (6) Burhi Gandak, (7) Bagmati, (8) Punpun, (9) Kosi, (10) Gandak, (11) Ajoy, (12) KiulHarohar, (13) Damodar, (14) Mayurakshi, (15) Yamuna, (16) Ramganga, (17) Tons, (18) Badua-Chandan, (19) Rupnarain-Haldi-Rasulpur, (20) Jalangi, (21) Sone, (22) Tidal rivers and (23) Main Ganga.

Ø  Most of these rivers are inter-state rivers.

 

Aquifer Mapping and Formulation of Aquifi er Management Plan

Ø  Aquifers are natural rock formations which can store and economically yield water.

Ø  In the XII Plan, CGWB has taken up the National Project on Aquifer Management (NAQUIM) to facilitate identifi cation, delineation, characterisation and effective management of aquifers to ensure sustainability of groundwater resources.

 

Central Ground Water Authority

Ø  Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) has been entrusted with the responsibility of regulating and controlling groundwater development and management in the country and issuing necessary directives for the purpose.

Ø  The Authority performs the following functions:

Ø   exercise of powers under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, for issuing directions and taking such measures in respect of all the matters referred to in sub-section (2) of Section 3 of the said Act y

Ø  to resort to penal provisions contained in Sections 15 to 21 of the said Act

Ø  to regulate and control management and development of groundwater in the country

Ø   to issue necessary regulatory directions for the purpose.

 

Central Water Commission

Ø  Central Water Commission (CWC) is headed by a chairman, with the status of an ex-offi cio Secretary to the Government of India.

Ø  The work of the Commission is divided among 3 wings, namely, Designs and Research Wing (D&R), Water Planning and Projects Wing (WP&P) and River Management Wing (RM).

Ø  CWC is charged with the general responsibility of initiating, coordinating and ‘furthering, in consultation with the state governments concerned, schemes for control, conservation and utilisation of water resources in the respective state for the purpose of fl ood management, irrigation, drinking water supply and water power generation.

Ø  The main functions of CWC include:

Ø  to carry out techno economic appraisal of irrigation

Ø  fl ood control and multipurpose projects proposed by the state governments

Ø  to collect, compile, publish and analyse the hydrological and hydro-meteorological data relating to major rivers in the country, consisting of rainfall, run-off and temperature, etc.

Ø  to collect, maintain and publish statistical data relating to water resources and its utilisation including quality of water throughout the country

Ø  to provide fl ood forecasting services to all major fl ood-prone inter-state river basins of the country

Ø  to undertake construction work of any river valley development scheme on behalf of the Government of India or state government concerned

Ø  to impart training to in-service engineers from central and state organisations in various aspects of water resource development

Ø  to promote modern data collection techniques such as remote sensing technology for water resources development, fl ood forecasting and development of related computer software

Ø  to carry out morphological studies to assess river behaviour, bank erosion/coastal erosion problems; and advise the central and state governments on all such matters.

 

Dam Rehabilitation & Improvement Project

Ø  Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) is a World Bank assisted project.

Ø  It aims for the rehabilitation of about 223 large dams in the seven participating states (namely Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand), along with institutional strengthening component for participating states and Central Water Commission.

 

Water Resource Information System

Ø  CWC and ISRO jointly developed Water Resources Information System (India-VVRIS) in 2010.

Ø  The version 4.1 was launched in 2015 and is available in public domain at 1:250000 scale

Ø  The information system contains several GIS layers on water resources projects—thematic layers like major water bodies, land use/land cover, wastelands, land degradation, etc., environmental layers as well as infrastructure and other administrative layers.

 

National Water Informatics Centre

Ø  National Water Informatics Centre (NWIC) was set up as a subordinate offi ce of Ministry of Jal Shakti in 2018.

Ø  It acts as a central repository of water resources data and allied themes.

Ø  Its mandate is to ensure timely and reliable water resources data acquisition, collation, management and its dissemination to provide tools for decision-making in the fi eld of water resources management.

 

Farakka Barrage Project

Ø  Farakka Barrage Project, with headquarters at Farakka in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, is a subordinate office under the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

 

Farakka Barrage

·         Farakka Barrage is located in Murshidabad and Malda districts of West Bengal at about 300 km North of Kolkata.

·         It is one of the largest barrage of its kind in the country having a Feeder Canal for a fl ow of 40000 cusec (1135 cumec) whose bed width is wider than that of Suez Canal.

·         The Feeder Canal originates in upstream at Right Bank of Farakka Barrage and outfalls into

the Bhagirathi, right channel of the river Ganga at 40 km downstream of Farakka Barrage.

 

Ø  The Farakka Barrage Project Authority was set up in 1961 with the mandate to execute and thereafter operate and maintain the Farakka Barrage Project Complex.

Ø  The main objective of the project is to divert adequate quantity of Ganga waters to Bhagirathi-Hoogly river system through 38.38 km long feeder canal for preservation and maintenance of Kolkata Port by improving the regime and navigability of the Bhagirathi-Hoogly river system.

 

Betwa River Board

Ø  Betwa River Board (BRB) was constituted in 1976 to execute the Rajghat Dam Project and Power House.

Ø  The project authority started construction of the project under the overall guidance of Betwa River Board Act, 1976.

Ø  The benefi ts and cost of the above project are shared equally by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

 

Tungabhadra Board

Ø  The Tungabhadra Board was constituted in 1953.

Ø  The Board consists of representations from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana and Government of India.

Ø  In the discharge of its assigned functions, the Board exercises powers of a state government.

Ø  It makes rules for the conduct of its own business.

Ø  The governments of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka provide funds in agreed proportions and also depute staff to man the various specifi ed posts, as per an agreed proportion.

 

Upper Yamuna River Board

Ø  Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) is a subordinate offi ce under this Ministry.

Ø  The Board was constituted in 1994.

Ø  It consists of a member from the Central Water Commission and one nominee each from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and National Capital Territory of Delhi.

Ø  The main function of the Board is to regulate the allocation of available fl ows amongst the benefi ciary states and also monitor the return fl ows; monitor conserving and upgrade the quality of surface and groundwater; maintain hydro-meteorological data for the basin; overview plans for watershed management; and monitor and review the progress of all projects up to and including Okhla barrage.

 

Brahmaputra Board

Ø  Brahmaputra Board, an autonomous statutory body, was set up and started functioning in 1982.

Ø  The jurisdiction of Brahmaputra Board includes both Brahmaputra and Barak valley and covers all the states of north-eastern region, Sikkim and northern part of West Bengal falling under Brahmaputra basin.

 

Polavaram Project Authority

Ø  Polavaram Irrigation Project is a multi-purpose irrigation project which is on the river Godavari near Ramayyapeta village of Polavarammandal about 42 km upstream of Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage, where river emerges out of last range of the Eastern Ghats and enters the plains in West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh.

Ø  It envisages construction of a dam to create ultimate irrigation potential of 2.91 lakh ha.

 

Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission (JRC)

Ø  An Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) is functioning since 1972.

Ø  A treaty was signed by the prime ministers of India and Bangladesh in 1996 for the sharing of the Ganga waters at Farakka during the lean season.

Ø  As per the treaty, the Ganga waters is being shared at Farakka (which is the last control structure on river in India) during lean period, from 1st January to 31st May every year, on 10-daily basis as per the formula provided in the treaty.

Ø   The validity of the treaty is 30 years.

 

Indus Waters Treaty

Ø  Under the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960, India and Pakistan have each created a permanent post of Commissioner for Indus Waters.

Ø  Each Commissioner is the representative of his government and serves as a regular channel of communication on all matters relating to implementation of the Treaty.

Ø  The two Commissioners together form the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC).

Ø  Under the treaty, all the waters rivers, Ravi, Sutlej and Beas (Eastern Rivers of the Indus river system) were allocated to India for exclusive use.

Ø  The waters of Western rivers—Indus, Jhelum and Chenab averaging were allocated to Pakistan except for specifi ed domestic, non-consumptive and agricultural use permitted to India as provided in the treaty.

Ø  India has also been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through run of the river (RoR) projects on the Western Rivers which, subject to specifi c criteria for design and operation is unrestricted.

 

National Water Development Agency

Ø  The National Water Development Agency was set up in 1982 to study the feasibility of the links under peninsular component of national perspective plan.

Ø  The NWDA is fully funded by Government of India.

Ø  Its functions include:

Ø  to carry out detailed survey and investigations of possible reservoir sites and inter-connecting links in order to establish feasibility of the proposal of peninsular river development and Himalayan river development components forming part of the National Perspective for Water Resources Development

Ø  to carry out detailed studies about the quantum of water in various peninsular river systems and Himalayan river systems which can be transferred to other basins/states after meeting the reasonable needs of the basin/states in the foreseeable future

Ø  to undertake/ construct/repair/renovate/rehabilitate/implement the projects either on its own or through an appointed agency/organisation/PSU or company and undertake the projects forming part of interlinking of rivers, for completion of projects falling under PMKSY of which projects under Accelerated Irrigation Benefi ts Programme are also included and similar other projects.

 

National Institute of Hydrology

Ø  The National Institute of Hydrology (NH), established in 1978 as an autonomous organisation under this Ministry.

Ø  It is a premier R&D institute in the country to undertake, aid, promote and coordinate basic, applied and strategic research on all aspects of hydrology and water resource development.

Ø  The institute has its headquarters at Roorkee (Uttarakhand).

 

National Projects Construction Corporation Limited (NPCC)

Ø  National Projects Construction Corporation Limited (NPCC) was established in 1957 as a premier construction company to create necessary infrastructure for economic development of the country.

Ø  NPCC complies with quality management requirements of ISO 9001-2008.

Ø  It aims for execution of civil works for thermal projects; river valley projects; industrial structures-, project consultancy services for buildings, housings, roads, bridges; and infrastructure projects.

 

Water and Power Consultancy Services

Ø  To utilise the expertise of the engineers who had carried out pioneering work and to share the knowledge and experience with other developing countries and in turn earning foreign currency, Water and Power Consultancy Services (WAPCOS) was established in 1969.

Ø  WAPCOS provided opportunities to Indian engineers to work in diverse geographical and climatic regions thereby enhancing India’s knowledge and expertise.

 

North Eastern Regional Institute of Water and Land Management

Ø  The North Eastern Regional Institute of Water and Land Management (NERIWALM) was established at Tezpur, Assam by North Eastern Council (NEC) in 1989.

Ø  The main objective of the Institute is to provide capacity building, undertake research and provide technical services to the line departments in order to improve agricultural production and socioeconomic status of the people in north east.

 

Minor Irrigation and Water Bodies Census

Ø  A centrally sponsored scheme, Rationalisation of Minor Irrigation Statistics (RMIS) was launched in 1987-88 in the Ministry of Water Resources, with cent per cent assistance to the states/UTs.

Ø  During the Eleventh Five Year Plan, the RMIS scheme was converted as one of the components of the central sector scheme - Development of Water Resources Information System (DWRIS).

Ø  In 2017 -18, the scheme was renamed as “Irrigation Census” and brought under the umbrella scheme, Prime Minister Krishi Sinchayee Yojana.

Ø  The main objective of the Irrigation Census scheme is to build up a comprehensive and reliable database in the Minor Irrigation (MI) sector for effective planning and policy making.

Ø  Database on Minor Irrigation (MI) schemes plays an important role in policy formulation for water resources available in the country.

Ø  MI censuses are a rich source of information on India’s groundwater sector.

Ø  Detailed database on minor irrigation works in the country has been generated through fi ve censuses carried out under the scheme so far with reference years 1986-87, 1993-94, 2000-01, 2006-07 and 2013-14 respectively.

Ø  The census reports are available on the website of this Ministry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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