Draft bill on water resource management authority circulated among states

A draft model bill proposing setting up of an Integrated Water Resources Management Authority which will be responsible for developing water security plans from villages to cities, groundwater management and floodplain management has been circulated to all states, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, Department of Water Resources said to achieve water security as part of the vision for Viksit Bharat, the government has proposed the Integrated Water Resources Management Authority (IWRM) at the state level, which will coordinate and integrate efforts of multiple water-related departments and agencies.

"A draft model bill has been circulated to all the states. This state IWRM authority, under the overall supervision of an IWRM council headed by chief minister, has been vested with various regulatory powers to set the direction of water sector development,"  he said at the inaugural session of the 10th Water Innovation Summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Triveni Water Institute.

"It will be responsible for developing water security plans from villages and cities to districts and state level, groundwater management, floodplain management and river conservation zones," he said.

The official said a new draft National Water Data Policy is another significant step in this direction.

The Ministry of Jal Shakti also has a national strategy for accelerating innovation in the water sector.

"This policy aims to make innovation a driving force for transformational change in the water sector to achieve water security for all. Its mission is to create open collaboration opportunities and enabling platforms for public-private partnership across the water sector to drive innovation," he said.

Verma also said there is a need for achieving better efficiency in the industrial use of water.

"About 40 billion cubic metres of water is used in industrial areas of the country. The water use efficiency in Indian industries continues to be much lower as compared to developed countries. There is considerable scope available for improved water use efficiency," he added.