THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION
(DR. SANJEEV KUMAR BALYAN)
(a) The National Water Policy, 2012 has been adopted by the National Water Resources Council at its Meeting held on 28.12.2012. The Policy makes several recommendations for conservation, development and improved management of water resources in the country. The salient features of the National Water Policy, 2012 are at Annexure I.
(b) Under the Human Resources Development & Capacity Building scheme of Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, the Rajiv Gandhi National Ground Water Training & Research Institute has developed training modules for Tier III trainings comprising components of groundwater management and water use efficiency for the target groups mainly farmers, Panchayati Raj Institutions, Non-Government Organisations and other stakeholders. Central Ground Water Board under this Ministry has so far conducted 278 trainings of Tier III wherein over 40,500 personals have been trained at Block level during the XII five year plan. The State-wise details of tier –III trainings are given at Annexure II.
(c) Several measures for protection of sources of water viz., rivers, lakes, tanks, ponds, wells, etc. are undertaken by the respective State Governments. Central Government supplements the efforts of the State Governments by way of technical and financial assistance through various schemes and programs viz. schemes for Repair, Renovation & Restoration of Water-bodies, National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems, National River Conservation Plan etc.
The National Water Policy, 2012 has, inter-alia, recommended that conservation of rivers, river corridors, water bodies and infrastructure should be undertaken in a scientifically planned manner through community participation and that sources of water and water bodies should not be allowed to get polluted.
The Policy has further recommended that encroachments and diversion of water bodies (like rivers, lakes, tanks, ponds, etc.) and drainage channels (irrigated area as well as urban area drainage) must not be allowed, and wherever it has taken place, it should be restored to the extent feasible and maintained properly.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) along with the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCB) issues pollution norms for water bodies and also monitors the water quality through a network of stations all over India. Central Water Commission (CWC) also monitors water quality parameters of rivers at selected locations. Similarly, Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) monitors the availability as well as quality of ground water. The Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act 1974 and Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977 form the basis of water pollution regulations in the country. Necessary action against the polluters of water is taken by the concerned authorities under the different laws/rules framed by the Government in this regard.
Annexure-I
(Annexure referred to in reply to Part (a) of the Unstarred Question No. 845 to be answered on 21.07.2016 in the Lok Sabha regarding “National Policy on Water Resources”)
SALIENT FEATURES OF NATIONAL WATER POLICY (2012)
1. Emphasis on the need for a national water framework law, comprehensive legislation for optimum development of inter-State rivers and river valleys.
2. Water, after meeting the pre-emptive needs for safe drinking water and sanitation, achieving food security, supporting poor people dependent on agriculture for their livelihood and high priority allocation for minimum eco-system needs, be treated as economic good so as to promote its conservation and efficient use.
3. Ecological needs of the river should be determined recognizing that river flows are characterized by low or no flows, small floods (freshets), large floods and flow variability and should accommodate development needs. A portion of river flows should be kept aside to meet ecological needs ensuring that the proportional low and high flow releases correspond in time closely to the natural flow regime.
4. Adaptation strategies in view of climate change for designing and management of water resources structures and review of acceptability criteria has been emphasized.
5. A system to evolve benchmarks for water uses for different purposes, i.e., water footprints, and water auditing be developed to ensure efficient use of water. Project financing has been suggested as a tool to incentivize efficient & economic use of water.
6. Setting up of Water Regulatory Authority has been recommended. Incentivization of recycle and re-use has been recommended.
7. Water Users Associations should be given statutory powers to collect and retain a portion of water charges, manage the volumetric quantum of water allotted to them and maintain the distribution system in their jurisdiction.
8. Removal of large disparity in stipulations for water supply in urban areas and in rural areas has been recommended.
9. Water resources projects and services should be managed with community participation. Wherever the State Governments or local governing bodies so decide, the private sector can be encouraged to become a service provider in public private partnership model to meet agreed terms of service delivery, including penalties for failure.
10. Adequate grants to the States to update technology, design practices, planning and management practices, preparation of annual water balances and accounts for the site and basin, preparation of hydrologic balances for water systems, and benchmarking and performance evaluation etc.
Annexure-II
(Annexure referred to in reply to Part (b) of the Unstarred Question No. 845 to be answered on 21.07.2016 in the Lok Sabha regarding “National Policy on Water Resources”)
STATE WISE DETAILS OF NUMBERS OF TIER –III TRAININGS CONDUCTED DURING XII PLAN PERIOD
CGWB Regional Office
State/UT
2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 Last four years (2012-16) No of Tier-III trainings planned in 2016-17
No. of Tier-III Trainings No. of participants No. of Tier-III Trainings No. of participants No. of Tier-III Trainings No. of participants No. of Tier-III Trainings No. of participants No. of Tier-III Trainings No. of participants
NWR, Chandigarh 1. Punjab 2 288 3 382 1 103 1 102 7 875 1
2. Haryana 3 508 3 379 1 215 1 130 8 1232 1
3. Chandigarh 0 0
WR, Jaipur 4. Rajasthan 6 1301 6 763 3 412 3 1301 18 3777 2
WCR, Ahmedabad 5. Gujarat 5 735 5 678 1 130 2 340 13 1883 2
6. Daman & Diu 0 0
NCCR, Raipur 7. Chhattisgarh 5 670 5 623 1 136 2 329 13 1758 2
CR, Nagpur 8. Maharashtra 6 1418 6 1040 1 163 3 360 16 2981 2
9. Dadra & Nagar Haveli 0 0
NR, Lucknow 10. Uttar Pradesh 6 1144 5 736 13 1907 4 1002 28 4789 2
MER, Patna 11. Bihar 4 507 4 556 1 140 1 140 10 1343 1
12. Jharkhand 2 274 2 253 1 153 2 260 7 940 1
ER, Kolkata 13. West Bengal 5 568 5 508 1 123 3 336 14 1535 2
14. Sikkim 0 0
15. Andaman Nicobar Islands 0 0
NER, Guwahati 16. Assam 4 301 4 379 1 106 4 492 13 1278 1
17. Meghalaya 2 200 1 192 1 140 4 532 1
18. Manipur 0 0
19. Mizoram 1 93 1 93
20. Nagaland 0 0
21. Tripura 1 110 1 73 1 100 3 283
22. Arunachal Pradesh 1 60 1 48 1 79 3 187
SER, Bhubaneswar 23. Odisha 5 501 5 501 0 2 213 12 1215 2
SR, Hyderabad 24. Andhra Pradesh 2 346 4 578 1 113 2 250 9 1287 1
25. Telangana 4 777 2 355 1 127 2 237 9 1496 1
SWR, Bangalore 26. Karnataka 6 1091 6 813 1 147 1 135 14 2186 2
27. Goa 0 0
KR, Trivandrum 28. Kerala 5 952 5 687 0 2 240 12 1879 2
29. Lakshadweep 0 0
NHR, Dharamsala 30. Himachal Pradesh 5 806 5 605 0 1 98 11 1509 1
NWHR, Jammu 31. Jammu & Kashmir 5 769 4 351 0 0 0 9 1120 2
SECR, Chennai 32. Tamil Nadu 5 1034 5 894 1 214 2 313 13 2455 2
33. Puducherry 0 0
NCR, Bhopal 34. Madhya Pradesh 5 636 5 772 5 648 3 415 18 2471 2
UR, Dehradun 35. Uttarakhand 5 569 5 520 0 2 425 12 1514 2
SUO, New Delhi 36. Delhi 1 75 0 1 75
TOTAL
100 15640 97 12686 35 4930 46 7437 278 40693 35
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