National Water Mission

Topics Covered:

1. Conservation related issues.

National Water Mission

What to study?

For Prelims: Key features and targets of the mission, Overview of National Water Policy.

Context: National Water Mission Awards-2019 awarded.

• The awards are given to incentivise an organisation/company through awards recognising excellence in water conservation, efficient water use and sustainable water management practices.
• The awards are given in 10 categories defined under five goals of the NWM.

About National Water Mission:

It is one of the eight missions launched under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) for combating the threats of global warming.

Under the mission, the National Water Policy would be revisited in consultation with States to ensure basin level management strategies to deal with variability in rainfall and river flows due to climate change.

Goals of the National Water Mission:

1. Comprehensive water data base in public domain and assessment of the impact of climate change on water resource.
2. Promotion of citizen and state actions for water conservation, augmentation and preservation.
3. Focused attention to vulnerable areas including over-exploited areas.
4. Increasing water use efficiency by 20%.
5. Promotion of basin level integrated water resources management.

Objective of the National Water Mission:

1. To conserve water.
2. To minimise the wastage of the water.
3. To ensure equitable distribution across the country and within States through integrated water resources management.

Need of the hour:

1. Using Reverse Osmosis for sea water and brackish water desalinization.
2. Recycle of water and reuse wherever possible.
3. Technologies for water purification.
4. Enhancing storage capacities in multipurpose hydro projects, and integration of drainage with irrigation infrastructures.
5. Mandating water harvesting.

Major provisions under the National Water policy are:

1. Envisages to establish a standardized national information system with a network of data banks and data bases.
2. Guidelines for the safety of storage dams and other water-related structures.
3. Regulate exploitation of groundwater.
4. Setting water allocation priorities in the following order: Drinking water, Irrigation, Hydropower, Navigation, Industrial and other uses.
5. The water rates for surface water and ground water should be rationalized with due regard to the interests of small and marginal farmers.
6. The policy also deals with participation of farmers and voluntary agencies, water quality, water zoning, conservation of water, flood and drought management, erosion etc.

Sources: pib.