Rapidly depleting water tables have prompted the Planning Commission to work on an integrated regulatory mechanism to manage water resources. This would require setting up of regulatory bodies both at the state and Center.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had briefed the plan panel in May on the need to develop a comprehensive strategy to manage water resources. The issue was brought to focus in the recently held National Development Council meet on the insistence of Singh.
The Commission is working on a strategy paper and the initial idea is to formulate a graded rate structure for groundwater used for irrigation. The major reason behind such an approach is that underground water is increasingly being used for both drinking and irrigation purposes. The Planning Commission seeks to prioritise drinking water needs over that of irrigation.
“Every irrigation project has deviated and is using more groundwater than intended for a specific area. If we continue to give this benefit to rich farmers, we will compromise on the right to drinking water, which is of course more important,” said Planning Commission member Mihir Shah, who is heading the initiative within the Commission.
Shah talks about a state-specific regulatory system to look into the financial viability of irrigation systems. “There should be water regulatory systems in place that will regulate the irrigation systems and the financial viability of such systems. A graded tariff system is also needed which had been successful in some states,” said Shah.
The Planning Commission is of the view that a major problem affecting the irrigation systems in states is the severe erosion of the financial status of these systems, owing to very low water charges. Not only does it encourage inefficient water use and a tendency for canal users to shift to water intensive crops, it creates an environment in which irrigation charges do not cover even the operating costs, leading to more misuse.
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The solution lies in Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM), which aims to involve stakeholders into the programmes for systemic water resource management.
However, a legal framework needs to be put in place for PIM in order to streamline it as a systemic reform. PIM has been successful in Gujarat, where it was implemented by the Government of Gujarat and Development Support Centre, Ahmedabad since 1994.
Water User Associations (WUAs) in the state have transformed themselves into cooperatives. Each farmer has bought a share to become a member. They have carried out Rs 55 million worth of canal rehabilitation work, wherein members have contributed around Rs 10 million.
The associations have a graded rate policy and distribution system, including penalties for members if they break rules. The WUA officials collect water charges in advance from farmers and pay these to the irrigation department.
The Planning Commission along with respective ministries is charting out a proposal to install a uniform system in all states to manage national water resources.
The annual extraction of groundwater in India at 210 billion cubic metres is by far the highest in the world. Groundwater provides more than 60 per cent of the net irrigated area. It has accounted for over 85 per cent surplus use in irrigated areas over the last three decades.
The growing dependence on groundwater has taken the form of unsustainable over extraction, which is lowering the water table and adversely impacting rural drinking water. Between 1995 and 2004, the percentage of areas severely affected due to depletion of groundwater has grown from 5 per cent to 33 per cent and the affected population from 7 per cent to 35 per cent.
The Mid Term Appraisal (MTA) said the major reason behind this rapid depletion in water tables is the overwhelming dependence on deep grilling of groundwater through tube wells, which account for over 40 per cent of irrigation.