Natural Water Resource

Country's water reservoir storage levels surpass last year's figures: CWC

The Central Water Commission (CWC) has reported an improvement in India's reservoir storage levels, with the total live storage in 155 monitored reservoirs reaching 98.974 billion cubic meters (BCM). This represents 55 per cent of their total live storage capacity, marking a 120 per cent increase compared to the same period last year and 116 per cent of the average storage over the past ten years, according to the weekly bulletin released by the CWC. In the northern region that comprises Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan, the reservoirs are holding 30 per cent of their total capacity, lower than last year's 40 per cent, indicating a deficit. While in the eastern region (Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura, Nagaland, Bihar), the storage level stood at 54 per cent, slightly below last year's 55 per cent and the normal 57 per cent. In the western region (Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa), the storage has surged to 67 per cent of the capacity, significantly higher than last

Draft bill on water resource management authority circulated among states

A draft model bill proposing setting up of an Integrated Water Resources Management Authority which will be responsible for developing water security plans from villages to cities, groundwater management and floodplain management has been circulated to all states, a senior official said on Tuesday. Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, Department of Water Resources said to achieve water security as part of the vision for Viksit Bharat, the government has proposed the Integrated Water Resources Management Authority (IWRM) at the state level, which will coordinate and integrate efforts of multiple water-related departments and agencies. "A draft model bill has been circulated to all the states. This state IWRM authority, under the overall supervision of an IWRM council headed by chief minister, has been vested with various regulatory powers to set the direction of water sector development," he said at the inaugural session of the 10th Water Innovation Summit organised by the ...

Bangladesh economic growth threatened by rapidly depleting water resources

Groundwater in the climate-vulnerable country is depleting faster than ever before, according to new research from WaterAid

India holds meetings with Tanzania, Zimbabwe to bolster collaboration

India held high-level meetings with Tanzania and Zimbabwe to enhance collaboration in water resource management and development, Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil said. During his interaction with the delegation from Zimbabwe, led by Deputy Minister V P Haritatos, at the ongoing National Water Week-2024 here, Paatil said discussions were held on strengthening water management and driving agricultural reforms in the southern African country. "Haritatos emphasised the importance of enhancing Indian investments in Zimbabwe's water sector, highlighting the pivotal role Indian companies like WAPCOS can play," Paatil said in a post. "We assured the delegation of India's commitment to providing comprehensive technical assistance and fostering cooperation to address Zimbabwe's water-related challenges," he said. Ensuring food security and supporting sustainable growth through innovative solutions in irrigation system design, improved water supply and enhancing irrigation efficiency were key .

Water level in India's main reservoirs rises to 26% of total capacity: CWC

Amid heavy rains in different parts of the country, water levels in 150 main reservoirs of the country have increased to 26 per cent of the total live storage capacity, still lower than in the same period last year, according to official data. Last week, the water level was at 22 per cent. The current live storage stands at 46.311 billion cubic meters (BCM), which is 26 per cent of the total live storage capacity of these reservoirs. This is a significant drop compared to the same period last year, when the live storage was 58.864 BCM, according to Central Water Commission's (CWC's) Friday bulletin. The reservoirs being monitored have a combined total live storage capacity of 178.784 BCM, representing 69.35 per cent of the overall estimated live storage capacity in the country. Despite the extensive storage capacity, the current figures reveal that the available storage is only 79 per cent of last year's levels and 90 per cent of the normal storage, which is calculated based on the

Growing & sustaining a liquid asset

Rainwater conservation needs planning on a geographically wider scale, keeping in view the entire watersheds, which can span administrative blocks, districts, or states

Global water resources in crisis, river conditions deviate from normal: WMO

More than 50 per cent of catchment areas globally witnessed deviations from normal river discharge conditions last year, posing a significant challenge in providing water to an increasingly vulnerable world grappling with climate change, according to a report by the World Meteorological Organisation. The report titled "WMO State of Global Water Resources 2022 Report" provides an independent and consistent global-scale quantitative assessment of water resources in large river basins in comparison to the long-term average for various variables like river discharge, groundwater, evaporation, soil moisture and inflow to reservoirs. It stated that the hydrological cycle was spinning out of balance as a result of climate change and human activities. The consequences of this imbalance are devastating, with droughts and extreme rainfall events wreaking havoc on both lives and economies. The melting of snow, ice, and glaciers intensifies flood risks and jeopardises long-term water security

Water resource management vital for nation's development: Official in G20

Holistic water resource management is a pre-requisite for the development of a nation, a senior official said at the 2nd meeting of the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group in Gandhinagar on Monday. Debashree Mukherjee, Special Secretary in the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti. also said there was need for collaboration in the field of water resources. She was addressing delegates from nineteen G20 nations and nine invitee countries as well as 13 international organisations. India is committed to strengthen cooperation in water resources development and management through sharing of technical experiences, best practices, usage of state-of-the-art tools and technology and case studies of successful interventions in the water sector for mutual benefit, Mukherjee said. The event saw presentations from Indonesia, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, China, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, UK, USA, Denmark, Singapore

Groundwater report waters down aquifer-level data, say experts

Assessment units too large in size and too few in number to present micro-level picture, they say

India seeking Israel help for 'tap-water to every Indian by 2024': Minister

Israel has made water recycling an integral part of daily life

Letter to BS: We need to take effective measures to manage water resources

We have the ability to do it. Just that it is not getting the attention that it deserves

Around 74,548 habitations have contaminated water: Govt

Around 28,000 habitations is affected by arsenic and flouride, says Narendra Singh Tomar