Context: Changing patterns and intensity of precipitation require greater emphasis on agility, resilience and flexibility in water management says Mihir Shah, Chairman of the 11-member drafting committee of India’s new water policy in an interview has shared some insights on the upcoming National Water Policy.

Background

• India previously had a National Water Policy in 1987, 2002, 2012.

Threat of Water insecurity in India:

• As per available scientific estimates, if the current pattern of water demand continues in India, about half of the national demand for water will remain unmet by 2030.
• Notably while India supports around 16% of the global population, India has access to only around 4% of the global fresh water resources.
• The current context of climate change leading to changing patterns and intensity of precipitation is adding to the grave crisis of water facing the country.
• The deteriorating water quality is also adding to water stress in India.

Key Recommendations

• There is the urgent need to take very serious cognisance of the grave crisis of water facing the country.
• There is the need for greater emphasis on agility, resilience and flexibility in water management, so that there could be an adequate response to the heightened uncertainty and unpredictability of the future. 
• There is the need for a radical change in the approach to water management.

Demand side management

• India should shift focus from endlessly increasing supply of water towards measures for demand-management.
• Cities must mandatorily shift all non-potable uses, such as flushing, fire protection, vehicle washing, landscaping, horticulture etc to treated wastewater.
• This could involve measures such as diversifying of cropping pattern to include less water-intensive crops, lowering the industrial water footprint by reducing fresh water use and shifting to recycled water and the use of treated wastewater for all non-potable uses, such as flushing, fire protection, vehicle washing, landscaping etc in cities.

Improving supply side efficiency

• There should be sufficient focus on supply of water through rejuvenation of catchment areas, which needs to be incentivised through compensation for ecosystem services in the upstream, mountainous regions.
• There should be renewed thrust on local rainwater harvesting. Protection and revival of traditional local water bodies in both rural and urban areas needs to be prioritized.
• This would form part of urban blue-green infrastructure for improved water levels and quality, as also flood mitigation.

Nature based solutions

• There is the need to adopt ‘nature-based solutions’ for storage, supply of water in India given their low cost characteristic and also the environmental sustainability of such an approach.
• There is mounting evidence across the globe in favour of “nature-based solutions” for water storage and supply.

Differential water pricing

• Economic services (like industrial and commercial use) must be charged at a rate where the O&M (Operation and Management) costs and part of the capital cost would be the basis for the water service fees. Concessional rates should be provided for vulnerable social sections.

Water resource management need new approach

• Water availability is not only dependent on ecological conditions. Rivers here have been tamed, controlled, and managed in order to exploit them in the service of the economy, the people and the state. But the control and the exploitation, (i.e. the management patterns of these rivers) have created social and economic inequalities, sometimes even dramatic ecological consequences.
• Because of the rising tensions at various scales, government institutions should advocate a new water management approach in order to better integrate various national, regional, local stakeholders, as well as users from the agricultural, industrial, and drinking water sectors.
• The new approach must focus on the Integrated Water Resource Management, which is closely linked to the river basin. Water flows according to natural characteristics and does not respect administrative boundaries, therefore water should be managed in an integrated manner on scientific basis.
• As as most of the water is displaced or dried up instead of used, rain catchment programs must be framed and put in place. Collected water can be immediately used for agriculture, and with improved filtration practices to reduce water-borne pathogens, also quickly available for human consumption.
• Instead of relying on quick-fix proposals based on faulty logic, the city and state authorities should focus on addressing what underlies the actual problem. Reservoir depletion in general and a falling water table in particular. There should be government regulation, to curb the amount of groundwater a household can extract. This water should be metered and priced.
• Farm ponds are constructed near the farming field. The rain water which runs off the ground are collected by these ponds. These ponds helps agriculture in dry lands.

Road Ahead

• There is a clear disconnect between water, society and economy. Currently, we are interested in laying large networks, constructing huge storage dams, fetching water from 150 km and above, which involves a huge carbon footprint. We need to promote a decentralised approach, with a key focus on water conservation, source sustainability, storage and reuse wherever possible.