Centre to soon come out with an updated National Water Policy: Shekhawat

The Centre will soon come out with an updated version of National Water Policy to effect key changes in water governance structure, regulatory framework, besides setting up of a National Bureau of water use efficiency, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said on Saturday.

"Hydrological boundaries rather than administrative or political boundaries should become part of the water governance structure in the country," said Shekhawat while speaking at the valedictory session of the 6th India Water Week-2019.

"For this consensus-building among the states within the Constitutional framework is a necessary pre-condition," he added.

He said that water conservation along with water-harvesting and judicious and multiple uses of water is key to tackle the water challenges in India.

Calling for rejuvenation and revitalisation of the traditional water bodies and resources through the age-old conservation methods, he underlined the need for dissemination of modern water technologies in an extensive fashion.

"Water surplus states like Chhattisgarh can gain by sharing the resource with the deficient ones," he said asking the states to collect data on water resources and to share the same with others with an open mind.

Minister of State for Jal Shakti Rattan Lal Kataria said that demand-side management of water should get priority over the supply-side management and called for massive conservation of the scarce resource.

"Integrated Water Management is a tool for poverty reduction and sustainable economic development," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation UP Singh said that National Water Policy of 2012 needs major updating in the light of new challenges especially the ill-effects of climate change.

India Water Week was inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on September 24 with a theme of "Water cooperation: Coping with 21st Century Challenges".

Japan and the European Union were associated as partner countries for this mega event.