WATER RESOURCES

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WATER RESOURCES

BestCurrentAffairs.com 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.  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). India Year Book 2020 Synopsis [BestCurrentAffairs.com] Page No.110 © BestCurrentAffairs.com. All Rights Reserved. [For IAS Prelims 2020]

Book by BestCurrentAffairs.com for IAS Prelims 2020  The Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 to provide Central

Assistance to major/medium irrigation projects in the country, with the objective to accelerate implementation of such projects which were beyond resource capability of the states or were in advanced stage of BestCurrentAffairs.com completion. Priority was given to those projects which were started in pre-Fifth and Fifth Plan period and also to those which were benefitting tribal and drought prone areas. From1999-2000 onwards, Central Loan Assistance under AIBP was also extended to minor surface irrigation projects of special category states (Northern Eastern states and hilly states of Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttaranchal and projects benefitting Kalahandi Balangir Koraput districts of Odisha).  The Centrally Sponsored Command Area Development (CAD) Programme was launched in 1974-75 for development of adequate delivery system of irrigation water up to farmers’ field with an objective to enhance water use efficiency and production and productivity of crops per unit of land and water for improving socio-economic condition of farmers.  The Programme was restructured and renamed as Command Area Development and Water Management(CAD&WM) Programme in 2004. The Programme is being implemented pari-passu with Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) during the XII Five Year Plan. The programme is under implementationas a sub-component of Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP) component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) - from 2015-16 onwards. The ongoing CADWM programme has been restricted to the implementation of CAD works of 99 prioritized AIBP projects from 2016-17 onwards.  During the XI Plan, government launched Flood Management Programme for providing central assistance to the state governments for undertaking the works related to river management, flood control, anti-erosion, drainage development, flood proofing, restoration of damaged flood management works and anti-sea erosion works.  New scheme Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP) has been proposed with merged components from the existing Flood Management Programme (FMP) and River Management Activities and Works related to Border Areas (RMBA) schemes.  River Management Activities related to Border Areas:This central sector scheme is in place since 2014 to cover the major works/schemes during the XII Plan.  During lean season (January to May), the Ganga/Ganges waters is being shared at Farakka with Bangladesh, as per the provisions of the Treaty signed between the two countries in 1996. The hydrological observations are being conducted jointly at Farakka (India) and Hardinge Bridge (Bangladesh) every year during the lean season. Further, during every monsoon, hydrological data of three stations (Nugesha, Yangqen and Nuxia) on Brahmaputra and one station (Tsada) on Sutlej is provided by China to India as per existing MoUs and cost of maintenance of these stations is borne by India.  With the objective to effectively tackle critical and chronic flood problems in the Ganga Basin, Ganga Flood Control Board (GFCB) was set up in 1972.  Ganga Flood Control Commission (GFCC), a subordinate office of this Ministry with its headquarters at Patna, was also created in 1972 to act as the secretariat and executive limb of GFCB and to deal with the floods and its management in Ganga Basin states.  There are 11 states in Ganga Basin, namely, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and NCT Delhi. The river systems of Ganga basin are (1) Gomati, (2) Adhwara Group, (3) Ghaghra, (4) Mahananda, (5) KamlaBalan, (6) Burhi Gandak, (7) Bagmati, (8) Punpun, (9) Kosi, (10) Gandak, (11) Ajoy, (12) KiulHarohar, (13) Damodar, (14) Mayurakshi, (15) Yamuna, (16) Ramganga, (17) Tons, (18) BaduaChandan, (19) Rupnarain-Haldi- Rasulpur, (20) Jalangi, (21) Sone, (22) Tidal rivers and (23) Main Ganga. Most of these rivers are inter-state rivers.  In the XII Plan, CGWB has taken up the National Project on Aquifier Management (NAQUIM) to facilitate identification, delineation, characterization and effective management of aquifiers to ensure sustainability of ground water resources.  Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) has been entrusted with the responsibility of regulating and controlling ground water development and management in the country and issuing necessary directives for the purpose.  The Rajiv Gandhi National Ground Water Training and Research Institute (RGNGWTRI) is the training arm of Central Ground Water Board and is located at Raipur, Chhattisgarh.  Central Water Commission (CWC) is headed by a Chairman, with the status of an ex-officio Secretary to the Government of India. The work of the Commission is divided among 3 wings namely, Designs and Research Wing (D&R), Water Planning and Projects Wing (WP&P) and River Management Wing (RM).  National Water Academy, the training institute of CWC, is located at Pune for training of central and state inservice engineers, NGO’s, etc.  Central Water Commission is operating a network of 878 hydro- meteorological observation stations throughout the country.  Central Water Commission is monitoring water quality at 429 key locations covering all the major river basins of India.  CWC is providing Flood Forecasting service at 226 stations, of which 166 are level forecasting stations on major rivers and 60 are inflow forecasting stations on major dams/ barrages. Out of this, flood forecasting service at 27 stations was started during 2017.  Morphological study of three rivers namely, Ghaghra, Sutluj and Gandak has been completed. Further, morphological studies of 15 rivers namely Ganga, Sharda, Rapti, Kosi, Bagmati, Yamuna, Bramhaputra,

Subansiri, Pagladiya, Krishna, Tungbhadra, Mahananda, Mahanadi, Hooghly, and Tapti is under progress.

Book by BestCurrentAffairs.com for IAS Prelims 2020  Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) is the World Bank assisted project at an estimated cost of ₹ 2,100 crore with the provision of rehabilitation of about 223 large dams in the seven participating states (namely Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and BestCurrentAffairs.com Uttarakhand) along with institutional strengthening component for participating states and Central Water Commission.  As per the latest information compiled under the National Register of Large Dams (NRLD) maintained by CWC, there are 5701 large dams in the country. Out of this, 5254 large dams have been completed and 447 others are under construction.  CWC and ISRO jointly developed Water Resources Information System (India-WRIS) in 2010. Subsequently, four versions of the website of India-WRIS have been launched. The ver. 4.1 was launched in 2015 and is available in public domain at 1:250000 scale.  National Water Academy (NWA) is an institute established under Central Water Commission at Khadakwasla, Pune.  Since its inception in 1988, NWA has contributed immensely in the capacity building and training in this sector for all stakeholders including Cadre Training Programmes for Central Water Engineering Services Officers.  Central Soil and Materials Research Station (CSMRS), New Delhi, is a premier organization in the country dealing with the field explorations, laboratory investigations, and basic and applied research in the field of geotechnical engineering and civil engineering materials, particularly for construction of river valley projects and safety evaluation of existing dams.  Farakka Barrage Project with headquarters at Farakka in Murshidabad district of West Bengal is a subordinate office under the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. The Farakka Barrage Project Authority was set up in 1961 with the mandate to execute and thereafter operate and maintain the Farakka Barrage Project Complex comprising Farakka Barrage, Jangipur Barrage, Feeder Canal, Navigation Lock and associated structures.  The Barrage comprises 112 Gates (108 no. main Gates and 4 no. Fish Lock Gates) besides 11 nos. Head Regulator Gates for diversion of approximately 40,000 cusecs (1035 cusecs) of discharge into the feeder canal.  The main objective of the Project is to divert adequate quantity of Ganga waters to BhagirathiHoogly river system through 38.38 km long feeder canal for preservation and maintenance of Kolkata Port by improving the regime and navigability of the Bhagirathi-Hoogly river system.  Farakka Barrage Project is facilitating implementation of India-Bangladesh Ganga Water Treaty-1996 on sharing of Ganga water between India and Bangladesh.  Betwa River Board (B.R.B) was constituted in 1976 to execute the Rajghat Dam Project and Power House. The project authority started construction of the project under the overall guidance of Betwa River Board Act, 1976. The benefits and cost of the above project are shared equally by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.  The Sardar Sarovar Construction Advisory Committee (SSCAC) was constituted by the Government of India in accordance with the directives of the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal (NWDT) in 1980.  The Tungabhadra Board was constituted in 1953. The Board consists of representations from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana and Government of India.  Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) is a subordinate office under this Ministry. The Board was constituted in 1994 with Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and National Capital Territory of Delhi as its measure.  It consists of Member, Central Water Commission and one nominee each from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and National Capital Territory of Delhi.  Brahmaputra Board, an autonomous statutory body was set up and started functioning in 1982. The jurisdiction of Brahmaputra Board includes both Brahmaputra and Barak valley and covers all the states of North Eastern Region, Sikkim and Northern part of West Bengal falling under Brahmaputra basin.  The Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal (NWDT) was constituted in 1969 to adjudicate upon the water dispute pertaining to river Narmada. The tribunal has ordered setting up of machinery for implementing its directions and decisions. Accordingly, the Central Government framed the Narmada Water Scheme interalia constituting the Narmada Control Authority (NCA).  Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) was contituted in 2014 with autonomous status under this Ministry.  Polavaram Irrigation Project is a multi-purpose irrigation project which is on the river Godavari near Ramayyapeta village of Polavarammandal about 42km upstream of Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage, where river emerges out of last range of the Eastern Ghats and enters the plains in West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh. It envisages construction of a dam to create ultimate irrigation potential of 2.91 lakh ha. The project also envisages generation of 960MW of hydro power, drinking water supply to a population of 28.50 lakh in 540 villages, diversion of 80TMC of water to Krishna river basin, sharing of 5 TMC and 1.5 TMC water with Odisha and Chhattisgarh, respectively. It creates an irrigation potential of 7.2 lakh acres (2.91 lakh ha) in East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, West Godavari and Krishna districts.  An Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) is functioning since 1972 with a view to maintain liaison in order to ensure most effective joint efforts in maximizing the benefits from common river systems. A Treaty was signed by the Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh in 1996 for the sharing of Ganga/Ganges waters at Farakka during the lean season. As per the Treaty, the Ganga/Ganges waters is being shared at Farakka (which is the last control structure on river in India) during lean period, from 1st January to 31st May every year, on 10-daily basis as per the formula provided in the

Treaty. The validity of Treaty is 30 years.

Book by BestCurrentAffairs.com for IAS Prelims 2020  The management of floods due to the rivers flowing into India from Nepal has been a concern and the related issues are discussed in the existing Indo- Nepal bilateral mechanisms comprising (i) Joint

Ministerial Commission on Water Resources (JMCWR),(ii) Joint Committee on Water Resources (JCWR) BestCurrentAffairs.com and (iii) Joint Standing Technical Committee(JSTC) (iv) Joint Committee on Inundation of Flood Management (JCIFM) (v)Joint Committee on KosiGandakProiects (JCKGP).  Under the Indus Waters Treaty 1960, India and Pakistan have each created a permanent post of Commissioner for Indus Waters. Each Commissioner is the representative of his government and serves as a regular channel of communication on all matters relating to implementation of the Treaty. The two Commissioners together form the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC).  The National Water Development Agency was set up in 1982 to study the feasibility of the links under peninsular component of national perspective plan. The NWDA is fully funded by Government of India. The National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), established in 1978 as an autonomous organization under this Ministry, is a premier R&D institute in the country to undertake, aid, promote and coordinate basic, applied and strategic research on all aspects of hydrology and water resources development. The Institute has its headquarters at Roorkee (Uttarakhand).  It has four regional centres located at Belgaum, Jammu, Kakinada and Bhopal, and two centres for Flood Management Studies at Guwahati and Patna.  National Projects Construction Corporation Limited (NPCC) was established in 1957 as a premier construction company to create necessary infrastructure for economic development of the country.  Water and Power Consultancy Services (WAPCOS) was established in 1969. WAPCOS provided opportunities to Indian engineers to work in diverse geographical and climatic regions thereby enhancing India’s knowledge and expertise.  Some of the multipurpose projects like Bhakra Dam, Hirakud Dam, Nagarjuna Dam and Dantewada Dam find mention amongst the world’s largest projects.  The North Eastern Regional Institute of Water and Land Management (NERIWALM) was established at Tezpur, Assam by North Eastern Council (NEC), in 1989. The Institute is under the administrative control of this Ministry. The Institute is situated in 3km away from the historically famous town of Tezpur, Sonitpur district of Assam which is located on the north bank of mighty river Brahmaputra at about 180 km from Guwahati. It is connected by road, rail and air with other parts of the country.  A Centrally Sponsored Scheme, Rationalization of Minor Irrigation Statistics (RMIS) was launched in 1987-88 in the Ministry of Water Resources, with cent per cent assistance to the states/UTs. During the Eleventh Five Year Plan, the RMIS scheme was converted as one of the components of the Central Sector Scheme - Development of Water Resources Information System (DWRIS). In 2017-18, the scheme was renamed as “Irrigation Census” and brought under the umbrella scheme,’ Prime Minister’s Krishi Sinchai Yojana and other Schemes’.  Detailed database on minor irrigation works in the country has been generated through five censuses carried out under the scheme so far with reference years 1986-87, 1993-94, 2000-01, 2006-07 and 2013-14 respectively.