Centre to update National Water Policy to improve water governance

The Centre will soon come up with an updated version of the National Water Policy to bring key changes in water governance structure and regulatory framework, the Jal Shakti Ministry said on Saturday. It also said a National Bureau of Water Use Efficiency will be set up. "The Government of India will soon come out with an updated version of National Water Policy to effect key changes in water governance structure and regulatory framework, besides setting up of a National Bureau of Water Use Efficiency," a statement said.

At the valedictory session of the sixth India Water Week, Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said hydrological boundaries, rather than administrative or political boundary, should become part of water governance structure in the country. For this, consensus building among states within the constitutional framework is a necessary pre-condition, he said.

Water Resources Secretary U P Singh said the National Water Policy of 2012 needs major updation in the light of new challenges, especially climate change. Batting for changes in policy to give incentive for growing crops that use less water, Singh said participatory ground water management should be promoted in a big way to maintain quality and sustainability. Touching upon the idea of water trade, Shekhawat said water-surplus states like Chhattisgarh can gain by sharing the resource with the water-deficient states. He also asked the states to collect data on water resources and to share it with others.

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PM Modi addresses the problem of water crisis

PM Modi addressed business leaders at the Global Business Forum 2019 at Bloomberg, climate change was once again a topic that sprung up. The Prime Minister once again drew to his ‘need vs greed’ explanation,  highlighting India’s lifestyle that considers Earth as a Mother and not to harm it. PM Modi also said that India is seeking to produce 450 gigawatt renewable energy. PM Modi asserted that if India becomes a member of NSG, they will be a model for the world in terms of fuel. He also listed out the steps to solve the water crisis in India, with plans for a big movement to address it. The Prime Minister also reiterated India’s movement against single-use plastic that will be taken on a massive scale on Gandhi Jayanti.

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Prime Minister Modi said: “Another issue associated with climate, on which the attention has gone much yet, is water. India has recently taken a big initiative for Jal Jeevan Mission, and we are focusing on rainwater harvesting, recycling, reuse, we want to oversee a big movement in the country. We also want that as per requirements, we resurrect the rivers, and create a grid. We have pratibandit single-use plastic, and to discourage single-use plastic, we have started a very big movement. On October 2, Mahatama Gandhi’s birthday, we are taking a big step in this regard. We are moving ahead on various issues for climate and environment ahead at the same time.”

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