India Needs an Efficient Water Governance

On World Water Day (22 March), PM Modi urged citizens to conserve every drop of water, emphasising the importance of effective and responsible water governance in India.

Why India Needs Efficient Water Governance?

Hydrological Paradox: India receives nearly 4,000 cubic kilometres of annual rainfall but holds only 4% of the world’s freshwater resources to support 18% of the global population.
Water Stress: Nearly 600 million people face high to extreme water stress, with demand projected to surpass supply by 2030, reducing GDP by 6%.
Scarcity Threshold: Per capita water availability has decreased from 5,000 cubic metres in 1947 to about 1,434 cubic metres in 2025, approaching the ‘Water Scarcity’ limit of 1000 cubic metres.
Aquifer Depletion: As the world’s largest groundwater consumer, India records annual water table declines of up to 4 cm in its northwestern “breadbasket”.
Quality Crisis: India ranks 120^th out of 122 countries on the global Water Quality Index, with nearly 70% of freshwater sources contaminated.
Health Burden: Inadequate access to water and sanitation contributes to nearly 200,000 annual deaths, primarily from preventable waterborne diseases.
Distribution Inefficiency: Indian cities lose about 38% of potable water as ‘Non-Revenue Water’ due to ageing infrastructure and leaks, almost double the global efficiency benchmark.

Constitutional Provisions for Water Governance

State Primacy: Entry 17 of the State List grants states legislative authority over water supply, irrigation, canals, drainage, and storage within their territories.
Union Oversight: Entry 56 of the Union List empowers the Central Government to regulate and develop inter-state rivers and valleys to the extent declared by Parliament in the public interest.
Conflict Adjudication: Article 262 provides the framework for resolving inter-state river disputes and permits Parliament to exclude the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction.
Local Decentralisation: Articles 243G and 243W facilitate the devolution of functional authority to Panchayats and Municipalities for drinking water, sanitation, and minor irrigation management.
Public Trust Doctrine: Judicial interpretation of Article 21 treats water as a community resource held by the State in public trust. The doctrine includes man-made lakes and reservoirs.

Government Initiatives for Water Governance

Rural Supply: Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0 has been extended to December 2028 to ensure 55 litres of per capita daily water for all 19.36 crore rural households.
Urban Circularity: AMRUT 2.0 aims to make 4,700 Urban Local Bodies water-secure by 2026 by mandating 20% of city water demand to be met through recycled wastewater reuse.
Community Management: Atal Bhujal Yojana provides performance-linked ‘Incentive Grants’ to over 8,200 water-stressed Gram Panchayats for implementing community-led Water Security Plans.
Digital Architecture: Sujalam Bharat framework establishes a national digital architecture to achieve 100% real-time monitoring of rural water assets through a unique Sujal Gaon ID.
Local Resilience: Mission Amrit Sarovar (under Jal Shakti Abhiyan) has successfully constructed or rejuvenated 75 water bodies per district.
Usage Efficiency: National Water Mission (NWM) aims to achieve a 20% increase in water-use efficiency across industrial, domestic, and irrigation sectors by 2030.

Challenges with India’s Water Governance

Institutional Silos: Fragmented mandates among multiple agencies hinder an integrated water resources management (IWRM) strategy.
Information Asymmetry: Lack of credible, real-time, and shared data systems weakens evidence-based policymaking and predictive forecasting.
Metric Inconsistency: Divergent definitions of “water access” across national surveys (such as NFHS-6) and the Jal Jeevan Mission create unreliable benchmarks for tracking progress.
Legal Obsolescence: The Easement Act of 1882 creates a regulatory vacuum by granting landowners de facto ownership of groundwater.
Federal Friction: Overlapping authority between the Centre and States often stalls interstate river-sharing agreements and collaborative transboundary basin management.

Sustainable Water Management

Community Action: Mobilize locals for rainwater harvesting and pond revival. E.g., Chennai’s community ponds restored groundwater, reducing seasonal shortages.
Industrial Stewardship: Promote water-efficient processes and recycling. E.g., Tata Steel cut water uses by 30% via closed-loop systems.
Data Governance: Use water census and GIS for equitable management. E.g., Maharashtra’s water atlas guides allocation and drought planning.
Awareness Campaigns: Drive education and gender-inclusive outreach for responsible use. E.g., Kerala’s “Haritha Keralam” engages citizens in water sustainability.

Efficient water governance is India’s lifeline; community action, technology, and accountability can turn scarcity into sustainability. “Water is life’s matter and matrix, mother and medium.”

Reference: News On Air | PMFIAS: Water Crisis in India

PMF IAS Pathfinder for Mains – Question 602

Q. “India’s water crisis is less about physical scarcity and more about failures in governance, institutions, and policy design.” Critically examine this statement in the context of rising water stress in India. Suggest comprehensive reforms to strengthen water governance and ensure sustainable management. (250 Words) (15 Marks)

Approach

Introduction: Write a contextual introduction about the water stress in India.
Body: Examine how the water crisis is largely due to failures in governance, institutions, and policy design, mention its implication, and suggest comprehensive reforms to strengthen water governance and ensure sustainable management.