Book by BestCurrentAffairs.com for IAS Prelims 2020
WATER RESOURCES
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As per National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) report, the total water availability of the country received through precipitation is about 4000 Billion Cubic Meter (BCM) per annum. After evaporation, 1869 BCM water is available as natural runoff. Due to geological and other factors, the utilizable water availability is limited to 1137 BCM per annum comprising 690 BCM of surface water and 447 BCM of replenishable ground water. Water availability per person is dependent on population of the country and for India water availability per capita is reducing progressively due to increase in population. The average annual per capita water availability in the years 2001 and 2011 was assessed as 1820 cubic meters and 1545 cubic meters respectively which may reduce further to 1340 and 1140 in the years 2025 and 2050 respectively. Annual per-capita water availability of less than 1700 cubic meters is considered as water stressed condition, whereas annual per-capita water availability below 1000 cubic meters is considered as a water scarcity condition. Due to high temporal and spatial variation of precipitation, the water availability of many region of the country is much below the national average and can be considered as water stressed / water scarce. Total requirement of the country for different uses for high demand scenario for the years 2025 and 2050 has been assessed as 843 BCM and 1180 BCM respectively. The National Water Policy, 2012 was adopted by the National Water Resources Council. National Water Mission is one of the missions under NAPCC. Comprehensive water data base in public domain: India-WRIS (Water Resource Information System), a portal for providing information on water resources has been developed by Central Water Commission. All the data pertaining to surface water and ground water are made available at India-WRIS. NWM Web Portal: An independent Web Portal of NWM was launched. The portal aims at providing all the information relating to water resources, organisations and their activities on different aspects of water resources at one point. National Mission for Clean Ganga: The Ganga basin is the most populous in the world, with more than 400 million people in India alone. It accounts for 28 per cent of India’s water resources, holds about 26 per cent of India’s land mass and hosts 43 per cent of the population. The main stem of the river traverses 5 major states namely, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal and travels 2525 kms. The Ganga River basin including all its tributaries cover about a million square kilometres area in 11 states in the country. The Ganga basin exemplifies a typical “hydraulic civilization”, where achieving water security to harness the river’s productive potential and limit its destructive potential is critical for sustenance and economic growth. Beyond this the river is also a home to some of exotic marine life such as gharials, turtles, Gangetic dolphins and golden mahaseer etc. In addition to its physical resource value, the Ganga is culturally very significant for India. On important religious/spiritual days, millions of people converge on its banks in select cities to pray and bathe in the waters, and for them a clean Ganga holds great value. More than120 million people came to the city of Allahabad for pilgrimage in 2013, making it the largest gathering in the world. About 70 per cent of the pollution is from untreated domestic sewage, 20 per cent is from toxic industrial waste water and 10 per cent is from non-point sources such as agricultural runoff, open defecation, dumping of solid waste disposal, etc. There have been previous attempts to clean the river, with mixed results. The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was launched in 1985 and extended to two phases (GAP I & GAP II) over more than two decades. In 2015, the “Namami Gange” - Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission programme was launched. This was at an indicative cost of ₹ 20,000 crores, as an umbrella programme with an aim to integrate previous and currently ongoing projects and new initiatives planned as its part. In 2016, through the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Order 2016, NGRBA has been replaced with a National Ganga Council for Rejuvenation, Protection and Management of River Ganga as an authority. National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has also been converted in to an authority. National Mission for Clean Ganga. Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation launched Jal Kranti Abhiyan(2015-16 to 2017-18) in order to consolidate water conservation and management in the country through a holistic approach involving all stakeholders, making it a mass movement. Jal Manthan is an initiative of this Ministry for wider consultations among various stakeholders for churning out new ideas and tangible solutions to various water sector issues. During 2015-16, Pradhan Mantri Krishi SinchayeeYojana (PMKSY) was launched with an aim to enhance physical access of water on farm and expand cultivable area under assured irrigation, improve on farm water use efficiency, introduce sustainable water conservation practices, etc. Major and medium irrigation/ multipurpose irrigation (MMI) projects are being funded under PMKSYAIBP and Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies, Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI) projects and Command Area Development & Water Management (CAD&WM) projects are being funded under PMKSY-Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP).
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The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation lays down policies and programmes for development and regulation of the water resources of the country. The Ministry has been renamed Ministry of Jal Shakti with two departments —Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
India Year Book 2020 Synopsis
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