Jal Shakti Ministry To Tackle Country’s Water Woes
Water is essential to life, yet 844 million people in the world lack access to it. According to a report by the World Economic Forum, the water crisis is the number-four global risk in terms of impact on society.
The situation is no better in India. Although India has made significant improvements over the past decades in both the availability and quality of municipal drinking water systems, its large population has stressed planned water resources and rural areas are mostly left out. In addition, rapid growth in India’s urban areas has stretched government solutions, which have been compromised by over-privatisation.
Besides, regardless of improvements to drinking water, many other water sources are contaminated with both biological and chemical pollutants, and over 21% of the country’s diseases are water-related. Furthermore, only 33% of the country has access to traditional sanitation although the situation is improving.
One concern is that India may lack overall long-term availability of replenishable water resources. While India’s aquifers are currently associated with replenishing sources, the country is also a major grain producer with a great need for water to support grain production. As with all countries with large agricultural output, excess water consumption for food production depletes the overall water table.
According to NITI Aayog, the think-tank of the Government, nearly 600 million Indians face “high to extreme water stress”, while 75% households do not have drinking water on their premises. At the same time, about 2 lakh people die every year due to inadequate access to safe water. From April to July every year, the water situation in at least eight states in the country is usually grim. The impact of climate change and global warming is likely to make matters worse.
In order to tackle the growing crisis, the government has launched a new unified ‘Jal Shakti’, or ‘water power’ ministry aimed at providing clean drinking water as well as to fight India’s water problems. The new ministry has been formed by merging the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. This will encompass issues ranging from providing clean drinking water, and international and inter-state water disputes, to the ‘Namami Gange’ project aimed at cleaning the River Ganges and its tributaries, and sub tributaries and provide clean drinking water.
This step is seen as the fulfilment of a promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his election campaign that access to safe drinking water would be a prime initiative of the NDA government in its second term. He had said there will be a separate ministry for water resources to ensure clean water and top-class irrigation water facilities for the farmers, which is now in place.
There are several central ministries that currently deal with water in a piecemeal manner. For instance, the Ministry of Forest and Environment is entrusted with conservation of most rivers in the country. Similarly, urban water supply is looked after by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and micro-irrigation projects come under the Ministry of Agriculture.
According to Indian government, the mandate of the newly formed Jal Shakti Ministry will go much beyond bringing previous ministries of water resources and drinking water and sanitation under one umbrella. The new ministry will attempt to integrate the overall demand and supply sides of water in the country so that the issues relating to water are dealt with in a holistic manner. In particular, the new ministry would need to be empowered to coordinate policy with the Ministry of Agriculture, which accounts for some 80% of the country’s water demand. Also, it would provide guidance for proper choice of alternative crops for different climatic zones and introduction of new water-saving technologies such as sprinkler and drip irrigation methods for non-rain-fed areas, for optimum utilisation of available water resources.
The situation is no better in India. Although India has made significant improvements over the past decades in both the availability and quality of municipal drinking water systems, its large population has stressed planned water resources and rural areas are mostly left out. In addition, rapid growth in India’s urban areas has stretched government solutions, which have been compromised by over-privatisation.
Besides, regardless of improvements to drinking water, many other water sources are contaminated with both biological and chemical pollutants, and over 21% of the country’s diseases are water-related. Furthermore, only 33% of the country has access to traditional sanitation although the situation is improving.
One concern is that India may lack overall long-term availability of replenishable water resources. While India’s aquifers are currently associated with replenishing sources, the country is also a major grain producer with a great need for water to support grain production. As with all countries with large agricultural output, excess water consumption for food production depletes the overall water table.
According to NITI Aayog, the think-tank of the Government, nearly 600 million Indians face “high to extreme water stress”, while 75% households do not have drinking water on their premises. At the same time, about 2 lakh people die every year due to inadequate access to safe water. From April to July every year, the water situation in at least eight states in the country is usually grim. The impact of climate change and global warming is likely to make matters worse.
In order to tackle the growing crisis, the government has launched a new unified ‘Jal Shakti’, or ‘water power’ ministry aimed at providing clean drinking water as well as to fight India’s water problems. The new ministry has been formed by merging the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. This will encompass issues ranging from providing clean drinking water, and international and inter-state water disputes, to the ‘Namami Gange’ project aimed at cleaning the River Ganges and its tributaries, and sub tributaries and provide clean drinking water.
This step is seen as the fulfilment of a promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his election campaign that access to safe drinking water would be a prime initiative of the NDA government in its second term. He had said there will be a separate ministry for water resources to ensure clean water and top-class irrigation water facilities for the farmers, which is now in place.
There are several central ministries that currently deal with water in a piecemeal manner. For instance, the Ministry of Forest and Environment is entrusted with conservation of most rivers in the country. Similarly, urban water supply is looked after by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and micro-irrigation projects come under the Ministry of Agriculture.
According to Indian government, the mandate of the newly formed Jal Shakti Ministry will go much beyond bringing previous ministries of water resources and drinking water and sanitation under one umbrella. The new ministry will attempt to integrate the overall demand and supply sides of water in the country so that the issues relating to water are dealt with in a holistic manner. In particular, the new ministry would need to be empowered to coordinate policy with the Ministry of Agriculture, which accounts for some 80% of the country’s water demand. Also, it would provide guidance for proper choice of alternative crops for different climatic zones and introduction of new water-saving technologies such as sprinkler and drip irrigation methods for non-rain-fed areas, for optimum utilisation of available water resources.
Script: Biman Basu, Senior Science Commentator
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