National
Water Policy, 1987
Need
for a National Water Policy
Information
System
Maximizing
Availability
Project
Planning
Safety
of Structures
Ground
Water Development
Water
Allocation Priorities
Drinking
Water
Irrigation
Water
Rates
Participation
of farmers and voluntary agencies
Water
Quality
Water
Zoning
Conservation
of Water
Flood
Control and Management
Land
erosion by sea or river
Drought
Management
Science
and Technology
Training
Need
for a National Water Policy
1.1 Water is
a prime natural resource, a basic human need and a precious national asset.
Planning and development of water resources need to be governed by national
perspectives.
1.2 It has been
estimated that out of the total precipitation of around 400 million hectare
meters in the country, the surface water availability is about 178 million
hectare meters. Out of this about 50% can be put to beneficial use because
of topographical and other constraints. In addition there is a ground water
potential of about 42 million hectare meters. The availability of water is
highly uneven in both space and time. Precipitation is confined to only about
three or four months in the year and varies from 10 cm in the western parts
of Rajasthan to over 1000 cm at Cherrapunji in Meghalaya. Further, water does
not respect state boundaries. Not merely rivers but even under ground aquifers
often cut across state boundaries. Water as a resource is one and indivisible:
rainfall, river waters, surface ponds and lakes and ground water are all part
of one system; water is a part of a larger ecological system.
1.3 Floods and
drought affect vast areas of the country, transcending state boundaries. A
third of the country is drought-prone. Floods affect an average area of around
9 million hectares per year. According to the National Commission on floods,
the area susceptible to floods is around 40 million hectares. The approach
to the management of drought and floods has to be coordinated and guided at
the national level.
1.4 Even the
planning and implementation of individual irrigation or multi-purpose projects,
though done at the State level, involve a number of aspects and issues such
as environmental protection, rehabilitation of project-affected people and
livestock, public health consequences of water impoundment, dam safety, etc.
On these matters common approaches and guidelines are necessary. Moreover,
certain problems and weaknesses have affected a large number of projects all
over the country. There have been substantial time and cost overruns on projects.
In some irrigation commands, problems of water-logging and soil salinity have
emerged, leading to the degradation of good agricultural land. There are also
complex problems of equity and social justice in regard to water distribution.
The development
and exploitation of the countryÆs groundwater resources also give rise
to questions of judicious and scientific resource management and conservation.
All these questions need to be tackled on the basis of common policies and
strategies.
1.5 The growth
process and the expansion of economic activities inevitably lead to increasing
demands for water for diverse purposes: domestic, industrial, agricultural,
hydro-power, navigation, recreation, etc. So far, the principal consumptive
use of water has been for irrigation. While the irrigation potential is estimated
to have increased from 19.5 million hectares at the time of Independence to
about 68 million hectares at the end of the Sixth Plan, further development
of a substantial order is necessary if the food and fiber needs of a growing
population are to be met. The countryÆs population which is over 750
million at present is expected to reach a level of around 1000 million by
the turn of the century.
1.6 The production
of food grains has increased from around 50 million tons in the fifties to
about 150 million tons at present, but this will have to be raised to around
240 million tons by the year 2000 A.D. The drinking water needs of people
and livestock have also to be met. In keeping with the objectives of the International
Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade Programme (1981-1991), adequate
drinking water facilities have to be provided to the entire population in
both urban and rural areas and sanitation facilities to 80 % of the urban
population and 25 % of the rural population by the end of the decade. Domestic
and industrial water needs have largely been concentrated in or near the principal
cities, but the demand from rural society is expected to increase sharply
as the development programmes improve economic conditions in the rural areas.
The demand for water for Hydro & Thermal power generation and for other
industrial uses is also likely to increase substantially. As a result what
which is already a scarcer in future. This under scores the need for the utmost
efficiency in water utilisation and a public awareness of the importance of
its conservation.
1.7 Another important
aspect is water quality. Improvements in existing strategies and the innovation
of new techniques resting on a strong science and technology base will be
needed to eliminate the pollution of surface and ground water resources, to
improve water quality and to step up the recycling and re- use of water. Science
and technology and training have also important roles to play in water resources
development in general.
1.8 Water is
one of the most crucial elements in developmental planning. As the country
prepares itself to enter the 21st century, efforts to develop, conserve, utilise
and manage this important resource have to be guided by national perspectives.
The need for a national water policy is thus abundantly clear: water is a
scarce and precious national resource to be planned, developed and conserved
as such, and on an integrated and environmentally sound basis, keeping in
view the needs of the States concerned.
Information
System
2. The prime
requisite for resource planning is a well-developed information system. A
standardized national information system should be established with a network
of data banks and data bases, integrating and strengthening the existing Central
and State level agencies and improving the quality of data and the processing
capabilities. There should be free exchange of data among the various agencies
and duplication in data collection should be avoided. Apart from the data
regarding water availability and actual water use, the system should also
include comprehensive and reasonably reliable projections of future demands
for water for diverse purposes.
Maximizing
availability
3.1 The water
resources available to the country should be brought within the category of
utilizable resources to the maximum possible extent. The resources should
be conserved and the availability augmented by measures for maximizing retention
and minimizing losses.
3.2 Resource
planning in the case of water has to be done for a hydrological unit such
as a drainage basin as a whole, or for a sub-basin. All individual developmental
projects and proposals should be formulated by the States and considered within
the framework of such an overall plan for a basin or sub-basin, so that the
best possible combination of options can be made.
3.3 Appropriate
organisations should be established for the planned development and management
of a river basin as a whole. Special multi-disciplinary units should be set
up in each state to prepare comprehensive plans taking into account not only
the needs of irrigation but also harmonizing various other water uses, so
that the available water resources are determined and put to optimum use having
regard to subsisting agreements or awards of Tribunals under the relevant
laws.
3.4 Water should
be made available to water short areas by transfer from other areas including
transfers from one river basin to another, based on a national perspective,
after taking into account the requirements of the areas/basins.
3.5 Recycling
and re-use of water should be an integral part of water resource development
Project
Planning
4.1 Water resource
development projects should as far as possible be planned and developed as
multipurpose projects. Provision for drinking water should be a primary consideration.
The projects should provide for irrigation, flood mitigation, hydro-electric
power generation, navigation, pisciculture and recreation wherever possible.
4.2 The study
of the impact of a project during construction and later on human lives, settlements,
occupations, economic and other aspects should be an essential component of
project planning.
4.3 In the planning,
implementation and operation of projects, the preservation of the quality
of environment and the ecological balance should be a primary consideration.
The adverse impact, if any, on the environment should be minimised and should
be off-set by adequate compensatory measures.
4.4 There should
be an integrated and multi-disciplinary approach to the planning, formulation,
clearance and implementation of projects, including catchment treatment and
management, environmental and ecological aspects, the rehabilitation of affected
people and command area development.
4.5 Special efforts
should be made to investigate and formulate projects either in, or for the
benefit of, areas inhabited by tribal or other specially disadvantaged groups
such as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. In other areas also, project
planning should pay special attention to the needs of Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes and other weaker sections of society.
4.6 The planning
of projects in hilly areas should take into account the need to provide assured
drinking water, possibilities of hydro-power development and the proper approach
to irrigation in such areas, in the context of physical features and constraints
such as steep slopes, rapid run-off and the incidence of soil erosion. The
economic evaluation of projects in such areas should also take these factors
into account.
4.7 Time and
cost overruns and deficient realization of benefits characterizing most irrigation
projects should be overcome by upgrading the quality of project preparation
and management. The under-funding of projects should be obviated by an optimal
allocation of resources, having regard to the early completion of on-going
projects as well as the need to reduce regional imbalances.
Maintenance
and Modernisation
5.1 Structures
and systems created through massive investments should be properly maintained
in good health. Appropriate annual provisions should be made for this purpose
in the budgets.
5.2 There should
be a regular monitoring of structures and systems and necessary rehabilitation
and modernisation programmes should be undertaken.
Safety
of Structures
6. There should
be proper organizational arrangements at the national and state levels for
ensuring the safety of storage dams and other water-related structures. The
Central guidelines on the subject should be kept under constant review and
periodically updated and reformulated. There should be a system of continuous
surveillance and regular visits by experts.
Ground
water Development
7.1 There should
be a periodical reassessment on a scientific basis of the ground water potential,
taking into consideration the quality of the water available and economic
viability.
7.2 Exploitation
of ground water resources should be so regulated as not to exceed the recharging
possibilities, as also to ensure social equity. Ground water recharge projects
should be developed and implemented for augmenting the available supplies.
7.3 Integrated
and coordinated development of surface water and ground water and their conjunctive
use, should be envisaged right from the project planning stage and should
form an essential part of the project.
7.4 Over exploitation
of ground water should be avoided near the coast to prevent ingress of sea
water into sweet water aquifers.
Water
Allocation Priorities
- In the
planning and operation of systems, water allocation priorities should
be broadly as follows:
Drinking
water
Irrigation
Hydro-power
Navigation
Industrial
and other uses.
However
these priorities might be modified if necessary in particular regions
with reference to area specific considerations.
Drinking
Water
9.
Adequate drinking water facilities should be provided to the entire
population both in urban and in rural areas by 1991. Irrigation and
multipurpose projects should invariably include a drinking water component,
wherever there is no alternative source of drinking water. Drinking
water needs of human beings and animals should be the first charge
on any available water.
Irrigation
10.1
Irrigation planning either in an individual project or in a basin
as a whole should take into account the irrigability of land, cost-effective
irrigation options possible from all available sources of water and
appropriate irrigation techniques. The irrigation intensity should
be such as to extend the benefits of irrigation to as large a number
of farm families as possible, keeping in view the need to maximize
production.
10.2
There should be a close integration of water-use and land-use policies.
10.3
Water allocation in an irrigation system should be done with due regard
to equity and social justice. Disparities in the availability of water
between head-reach and tail-end farms and between large and small
farms should be obviated by adoption of a rotational water distribution
system and supply of water on a volumetric basis subject to certain
ceilings.
10.4
Concerted efforts should be made to ensure that the irrigation potential
created is fully utilised and the gap between the potential created
and its utilisation is removed. For this purpose, the command area
development approach should be adopted in all irrigation projects.
Water
Rates
11.
Water rates should be such as to convey the scarcity value of the
resource to the users and to foster the motivation for economy in
water-use. They should be adequate to cover the annual maintenance
and operation charges and a part of the fixed costs. Efforts should
be made to reach this ideal over a period, while ensuring the assured
and timely supplies of irrigation water. The water rates for surface
water and ground water should be rationalized with due regard to the
interests of small and marginal farmers.
Participation
of farmers and voluntary agencies
12.
Efforts should be made to involve farmers progressively in various
aspects of management of irrigation systems, particularly in water
distribution and collection of water rates. Assistance of voluntary
agencies should be enlisted in educating the farmers in efficient
water use and water management.
Water
Quality
13.
Both surface water and ground water should be regularly monitored
for quality. A phased programme should be undertaken for improvements
in water quality.
Water
Zoning
14.
Economic development and activities including agricultural, industrial
and urban development, should be planned with due regard to the constraints
imposed by the configuration of water availability. There should be
a water zoning of the country and the economic activities should be
guided and regulated in accordance with such zoning.
Conservation
of Water
15.
The efficiency of utilisation in all the diverse uses of water should
be improved and an awareness of water as a scarce resource should
be fostered. Conservation consciousness should be promoted through
education, regulation, incentives and disincentives.
Flood
Control and Management
16.
There should be a master plan for flood control and management for
each flood prone basin. Sound watershed management through extensive
soil conservation, catchment-area treatment, preservation of forests
and increasing the forest area and the construction of check-dams
should be promoted to reduce the intensity of floods. Adequate flood-cushion
should be provided in water storage projects wherever feasible to
facilitate better flood management. An extensive network for flood
forecasting should be established for timely warning to the settlements
in the flood plains, along with the regulation of settlements and
economic activity in the flood plain zones, to minimize the loss of
life and property on account of floods. While physical flood protection
works like embankments and dykes will continue to be necessary, the
emphasis should be on non-structural measures for the minimization
of losses, such as flood forecasting and warning and flood plain zoning,
so as to reduce the recurring expenditure on flood relief.
Land
erosion by sea or river
17.
The erosion of land, whether by the sea in coastal areas or by river
waters inland, should be minimized by suitable cost-effective measures.
The States and Union territories should also undertake all requisite
steps to ensure that indiscriminate occupation and exploitation of
coastal strips of land are discouraged and that the location of economic
activities in areas adjacent to the sea is regulated.
Drought
Management
18.1
Drought-prone areas should be made less vulnerable to drought-associated
problems through soil-moisture conservation measures, water harvesting
practices, the minimization of evaporation losses, the development
of the ground water potential and the transfer of surface water from
surplus areas where feasible and appropriate. Pastures, forestry or
other modes of development which are relatively less water-demanding
should be encouraged. In planning water resource development projects,
the needs of drought-prone areas should be given priority.
18.2
Relief works undertaken for providing employment to drought-stricken
populations should preferably be for drought proofing.
Science
and Technology
19.
For effective and economical management of our water resources, the
frontiers of knowledge need to be pushed forward in several directions
by intensifying research efforts in various areas, including the following
:
hydro-meteorology;
assessment of water resources;
snow
and lake hydrology;
ground
water hydrology and recharge; prevention of salinity ingress;
water-harvesting;
evaporation and seepage losses; economical designs for water resource
projects;
crops
and cropping systems;
sedimentation
of reservoirs;
the
safety and longevity of water-related structures;
river
morphology and hydraulics;
soils
and material research;
better
water management practices and improvements in operational technology;
recycling
and re-use; use of sea water resources.
Training
20.
A perspective plan for standardized training should be an integral
part of water resource development. It should cover training in information
systems, sector planning, project planning and formulation, project
management, operation of projects and their physical structures and
systems and the management of the water distribution systems. The
training should extend to all the categories of personnel involved
in these activities as also the farmers.
Conclusion
In
view of the vital importance of water for human and animal life, for
maintaining ecological balance and for economic and developmental
activities of all kinds, and considering its increasing scarcity,
the planning and management of this resource and its optimal, economical
and equitable use has become a matter of the utmost urgency. The success
of the national water policy will depend entirely on the development
and maintenance of a national consensus and commitments to its underlying
principles and objectives.