National Water Policy Essay

Review the National Water Policy 2012 and list five areas where the policy responds effectively to governance and management challenges. Identify and discuss five areas where the policy fails to respond adequately to the various challenges of the water sector. (For a review of the water sector governance challenges in India, please look at your class readings and lecture notes)

The National Water Policy 2012 highlights the increasing reduction in the availability of per capita usable water leading to a future wrought with conflicts over water. This coupled with climate change and a growing population in a developing country needs an immediate and effective response.

“The objective of the National Water Policy is to take cognizance of the

The National Water Mission under the National Action Plan on Climate Change also recommends conservation of wetlands.

Thus, there are a number of instruments to protect the wetlands ( including the mangroves) yet the numbers are declining. Though some of the states have shown progress – Guwahati (Assam), Kolkata (West Bengal), Andhra Pradesh and Kerela.

One of the issues that is faced in the conservation is that despite all the benefits accruing from these wetlands, the decision – makers and even those who are directly dependent on these wetlands consider them as ‘wastelands’. Because, wetlands are a part of the open access regime, everyone wants to extract the benefits; no one wants to pay for it.

When subjected to land use changes in their catchment areas, it leads to reduction in the inflows of the water bodies, worsening the quality of the ‘runoff’ passing through the agricultural as well as urban areas.

As they are treated as wastelands, many of them act as a dump yard for industrial and other urban wastes (including untreated effluents). Another area of concern is the encroachment of the reservoirs for developmental uses and extreme diversion of water for agricultural

However, due to the non acceptance of the probability of water sector being owned privately, this clause has been dropped in the latest draft of the policy. Instead the PPP model is being pushed. It also mentions that the ‘service – provider role’ of the State needs to be reduced and instead be limited to regulation and control of services.

The previous policy talks about water pricing in such a way that the operation and maintenance costs of providing the service initially is covered followed by that of capital costs. The latest policy recommends setting up ‘Water Regulatory Authority’ to levy water tariffs by maintaining a differential pricing for ‘pre-emptive and high priority uses’. Beyond its basic use, water has to be treated as an economic good according to the draft.

Regarding inter-basin transfer the 2002 policy recognised the need for transfer of water from one river basin to another for areas facing water shortage. The draft of 2012 also emphasizes the same but ‘not merely for increasing production but also for meeting basic human needs’ and therein uses it as a measure to achieving the twin goals of equity and social justice. Also, such inter – basin transfers are to be considered only after understanding the ‘environmental, economic and social impacts of such