Governing Water |
Although, as per the Constitution of India, water is primarily a State subject, it is increasingly an important national concern as the right to water is a part of the fundamental right to life; there is emergence of water crisis; there exist inter-use, intra state and interstate water conflicts; there is equity implication of the distribution, use, and control of water; there exists equity across uses, users, sectors, states, and generations; there are international dimensions of some of our rivers, and there exist emerging concerns about the need of climate resilience in the water sector.
There is no institutional mechanism that facilitates closely coordinated actions between the states and the Centre. Many times, there are varying and sometimes conflicting perspectives, understanding and positions on important water issues between states and the Centre, or across various states. The departments concerning water and capacities also vary across states. There is a need to have constructive discussions between states and the Centre to prevent conflicts, and at least to have time-bound resolution of the conflicts already arising across states and the Centre. Existing government departments at the Centre and in the states include professionals mostly from disciplines of civil engineering, hydrology, and hydrogeology.
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There is a need to have multidisciplinary expertise covering all disciplines relevant to water management. Without this support, the water crisis will aggravate. The multidiscipline, inter alia, should include water management, agronomy, anthropology, soil science, hydrometeorology, public health, river ecology, ecological economics, and social mobilization. For example, river rejuvenation is difficult to implement without a comprehensive understanding of river ecosystems dynamics and understanding the interconnections of plants, animals, and micro-organisms including understanding abiotic physical and chemical exchange across different parts of river ecosystems. There is a need to have expertise in ecological economics for maintaining a........