Yojana – April 2021

Facts

Parameters of Water Quality

S. N.

Parameter

Acceptable Limit

1

pH value

6.5 – 8.5

2

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

500 mg/ litre

3

Chloride

250 mg/ litre

4

Total Hardness

200 mg/ litre

5

Iron

1 mg/ litre

6

Total Arsenic

1 mg/ litre

7

Fluoride

1 mg/ litre

Average Annual per Capita Water Availability

S. No.

Year

Availability (cu. meters)

1

1951

5177

2

2001

1816

3

2011

1545

4

2021

1486

5

2031

1367

6

2050

1140

Availability of Drinking Water (76th NSS)

S. N.

Area

Proportion of households

Availability of ‘Sufficient’ Drinking Water

1

Rural Area

87.6%

2

Urban Area

90.9%

3

Total Households

88.7%

Households using ‘Improved Source’ of Drinking Water

1

Rural Area

94.5%

2

Urban Area

97.4%

3

Total Households

95.5%

Swacch Bharat Mission

1

Increase in Rural Sanitation Coverage

38.7% (2014) to 100% (2019)

2

Number of Toilets Built

10.25 Crore

3

States and UTs declared ODF

100%

4

Total investment

Rs. 1,30,000 Crores

5

Incentive to build household

Rs. 12,000

 

 

 

 

 

Good to Know

The speed of provision of water connections has increased multiple folds recently. While 3.23 Crore household tap connections were provided in a span of 70 years, in the last year, more than 3.73 Crore connections have been provided under the Jal Jeevan Mission.

As of date, approx. 80,000 villages, 41,000 panchayats, 669 blocks and 2 states have achieved the distinction of having Households with 100% tap water connections

 

Water Resources in India

1

Average Annual Precipitation

3880 bcm

2

Left after Evaporation

2000 bcm

3

Utilizable Ground Water

432 bcm (61%)

4

Utilizable Surface Water

690 bcm (39%)

5

Total Utilizable Water

1122 bcm

6

Water utilized in Agriculture

78%

7

Water utilized in Domestic use

8%

8

Water utilized in Industry

6%

9

Water utilized in Other uses

8%

 

Water Conservation and associated issues

Topics covered from the Syllabus:

  • GS-3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

 

Context: India is the country with 18% of global population, 15% of the global livestock and yet, it has only 2.4% of the world area and 4% of the world’s freshwater reserves. Therefore, conservation of water and its judicious use is critical for maintaining the sustainability of water for future generations.

 

Institutional Framework regarding Water

  • Sustainable Development Goal 6: India has committed to fulfilling the targets under the SDGs by 2030. Under this, Goal 6.1 is to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all. Other targets include improving water quality (6.3), increasing water use efficiency (6.4) and participation of local communities in improving water management (6.B) among others.
  • Ministry of Jal Shakti: To focus on integrated water management and to manage water holistically, the two overlapping ministries of Water Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and of Drinking water and Sanitation were merged to form the Ministry of Jal Shakti in May 2019. This substantially increased the regulation of the sector by providing a single-point resolution for the grievances related to water.
  • National Water Policy: The National Water Policy was formulated in 2012 by the then Ministry of Water Resources. The main agenda of the policy was to recognize the grim situation in the utilization of water and to prevent its wastage by improving the efficiency of water usage in multiple sectors including agriculture, industry and households.
  • National Water Framework: With an aim to conserve, manage, protect and regulate the usage of water, a draft national water framework bill was formulated in 2016 by the Mihir Shah committee. The committee worked under the overall direction and guidance of the then Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

 

Problems associated with Water Stress

  • Drought: According to media reports, 42% of the total area of the country is drought-prone. This is complicated by the agricultural-dependent economy of India. The occurrence of drought in a region leads to a fall in agricultural output, thereby decreasing the rural demand. Considering that almost two-thirds of India resides in rural areas, this decrease in demand has the potential to disrupt the economic indicators of the country.
  • Desertification: Heavy use of chemicals under the garb of pesticides, weedicides and fertilizers has led to degradation in the quality of soil as well as an increase in desertification in India. Approx. 30% of the total area in India is undergoing desertification and is water-stressed. This needs urgent attention from the government of India, as India is already stressed by the increasing population (18% of the global population) in a limited area (2.4% of the global area).
  • Inequitable Access to Water: The wide availability of water purification systems in India is a double-edged sword. Though it has decreased the prevalence of water-borne diseases in the country, yet it has increased inequality, as a significant proportion of the population does not have the necessary income to buy such stand-alone systems, thereby exacerbating water inequality in the country.
  • Dependence of Food Security on Monsoon: Despite impressive strides in irrigation coverage under multiple schemes like the PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, almost 51% of the total agricultural area in India is still rainfed. This does not bode well for a country, where the primary source of irrigation is the monsoon. Therefore, any monsoon-deficit year leads to a decrease in food grain production, compromising the food security in the country.
  • Anthropometric failure: Unavailability of water creates a stress scenario for a country like India which has seen a significant proportion of its population fall below the poverty levels due to the appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lesser water supply leads to a decrease in the agricultural output and supply of food grains in the market. This leads to a rise in prices and affects the growth prospects of the country, affecting the poor disproportionately as food expenditure comprises a major drain on their already meagre resources.
  • Unsustainable usage: India is the largest user of groundwater in the world. This has contributed a lot to the green revolution, making India self-dependent in food production. However, in the long term, unsustainable groundwater usage can be a potential crisis. It can contribute to lowering of water table and unavailability of water for household and agricultural usage.
  • Urban Drought: It refers to the decrease in the availability of water in urban areas because of high demand, on the one hand, and increase in the pollution of water bodies, on the other hand. Urban drought may exacerbate the existing water stress due to the following reasons:
    • Long distance sources of Water: Due to the exhaustion of the availability of water in the nearby areas, the water supply at far-away needs to be tapped to fulfill the basic needs of the urban residents. Even the far-away supplies are stresses in the deficit years.
    • Losses in Distribution: Long distance water supply has the inherent disadvantage of increased losses in distribution attributed to leakages and other factors. It also requires undertaking maintenance activity regularly to maintain the supply of water.
    • Expensive: A supply system from faraway places requires huge initial capital investment. At the same time, the maintenance of such a supply needs investment in human resources as well as logistical costs for covering the whole extent of the supply system.
    • Inequitable: Apart from that, the long-distance supply system tries to cover up a deficit in a region by transferring water from a surplus region. In the long run, this may induce a deficit in the surplus region also, exacerbating the differences and leading to political costs.
  • Water Pollution: The use of various chemical inputs including fertilizers and pesticides has exacerbated the water crisis in India. The chemical-laden water enters the ecosystem in the form of run-off and seepage and leads to eutrophication in the water bodies and contamination in the groundwater.
  • Climate Change: Global warming has increased the concerns of water stress by inducing irregularity in the geographical phenomenon like El-Nino and La-Nina, as well as accelerating the meltdown of glaciers, leading to concerns about the future shortage of flow of water in the perennial Himalayan rivers.

 

Need of the Hour

  • People-Centric Strategy: Since water has multiple issues at different levels, it is only the local community which has the capacity to enumerate and understand its own problems and resolve them at the level itself. In such cases, a Top-Down approach is counter-intuitive and might lead to wastage of resources. On the other hand, a Bottom-up approach involves the community and provides them with a feeling of participation and increases accountability of the projects.
  • Rainwater Harvesting: Monsoon is the major source of rainwater for India and considering the predominance of rainfed agriculture in the country, monsoon-deficit years have the potential to disrupt the economy of the country. Therefore, there is a need to tap the rainwater as a resource by decreasing the run-offs and constructing structures to harvest the rainwater for use during the rest of the year.
  • Scientific interventions, including satellite data collection: India is a leading country in space technology, including having a network of satellites with multiple uses. These satellites can provide important data to plan for the sustainability of agriculture in the case of resource deficit, both in space and time. Similarly, other technological interventions including better seeds and the use of fertilizers and other inputs can increase the productivity of agriculture in the country.
  • Distribution canal network: The Himalayas are a blessing for the country. They not only provide a suitable climate to the country but also are a source of perennial rivers, which can be harnessed to increase the availability of water in different regions. For e.g. the Indira Gandhi canal has played an important role in decreasing water stress in the desert areas of Rajasthan.
  • Inter-basin transfer of Water: Another strategy which has been on the cards for a long time is inter-linking the rivers of the country based on surplus and deficit rivers to address the sister concerns of floods and droughts, at the same time. Although ecological concerns have delayed the project for a long time, the feasibility studies of the projects are on and might see action soon.
  • Agriculture Extension including micro-irrigation projects: Agriculture is the major consumer of water in the country, amounting to almost three-fourths of total water use in India. The problem is the wastage of water, induced by inefficient methods of irrigation like flood irrigation. Therefore, it is critical to make the farmers aware of the alternate methods of irrigation like drip irrigation, which not only conserve water but also decrease the degradation of soil.
  • Involvement of Women: Women bear a disproportionate burden of water crisis as they need to travel large distances to fetch water from nearby streams or wells. Therefore, there is a need to involve them in the decision making as well as all the stages of planning viz. design, operation, management and maintenance of water supply systems. This will ensure long-term water security in the rural areas.
  • Changing Diet: Consumption of certain food items increases the water stress in the country. For e.g., the poultry industry consumes a large quantity of water in washing, cooling and other related uses. In such a scenario, a switch to a veg diet can be beneficial to the availability of water in the country.

 

Schemes

Topics covered from the Syllabus:

  • GS 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
  • GS 2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.

 

Jal Jeevan Mission

  • The mission was announced by the Prime Minister in August 2019.
  • Objective: To provide potable tap water to every rural household in the country by 2024.
  • Funding: The outlay for JJM is Rs 3.60 Lakh crores, with the share of Union government being Rs. 2.08 Lakh Crores and states’ share being Rs 1.52 Lakh Crores.
  • Features of the Scheme:
    • The mission is based on a community-centric approach. It seeks to create a Jan Andolan for water.
    • Source Sustainability: Another important focus of the mission is the implementation of Source Sustainability Measures as a part of the mission. Source Sustainability refers to ensuring the sustainability of water supply systems in a manner that they are not exploited to such an extent that it diminishes the availability of water for future generations.
    • Measures to implement Source Sustainability:
      • Recharge and Reuse: Reuse of the water decreases the stress placed on freshwater resources, leading to augmenting the availability of water.
      • Greywater Management: Greywater includes all the sources of domestic water excluding toilet wastewater. Greywater management is a very important part of source sustainability as it not only conserves water but also decreases the incidence of diseases as a result of leakage of greywater in the environment.
      • Water Conservation: Conservation of available water by using water-efficient techniques as well as making behavioral changes increases the source sustainability.
      • Rainwater Harvesting: While new constructions are encouraged to have harvesting structures, it also important to create such structures in the existing buildings and community halls.
    • Focus on Service Delivery: The aim of the scheme is to provide 55 liters of water per capita per day. Therefore, it is not limited to Infrastructure creation, but also creates an obligation upon the authorities to provide the clear drinking water as a matter of right.
    • Technology usage: There is an emphasis on the use of technology in the project as it increases transparency and accountability, while ensuring service delivery.
  • Strategy for Implementation:
    • Augmentation and Retrofitting: For the areas, which already have a steady supply of water, the strategy is to augment the supply by increasing its capacity as per the requirement and retrofitting the system to make it sustainable.
    • Single-piped water scheme, where groundwater is available: For the areas, which do not have a supply system in place but have the groundwater available for harnessing, the plan is to create the supply infrastructure in the form of single piped scheme.
    • Treatment plant when water is contaminated: For the areas where enough groundwater is available but is contaminated due to pollutants, the scheme provides for treatment plant to purify the water and supply the purified water to the households.
    • Bulk water transfer in deficient areas: If there is no availability of groundwater in the nearby areas, then water will be transported through the construction of supply infrastructure from a water surplus region.
    • Temporary Gravity or Solar power-based water supply in hilly/tribal/forest areas: In the remote areas, where it might take some time to create the supply infrastructure, the scheme envisions gravity or solar power based power pumping plants which can be used standalone, till the required supply is made available in the future.
    • Spring exploration in hills and mountains: Where it is available, springs of water will be explored as the potential source of clean drinking water.

 

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana

  • The scheme was launched in 2015-16, with an aim to enhance water-use efficiency by better on-farm management practices. It seeks to promote water-use efficiency in Agriculture by appropriate technological interventions as per the requirement of the crop and the soil.
  • The scheme seeks to enhance the micro-irrigation potential of the country by using technologies like Drip irrigation, Sprinkler irrigation etc.
  • The scheme is guided by a four-pronged vision:
    • Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme: The scheme has been launched to accelerate the implementation of irrigation projects held up due to financial constraints. It provides funds for the development of Major/medium irrigation projects, in the form of Central assistance to the States.
    • Har Khet ko Pani: It seeks to provide irrigation to each field through Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI) scheme and Repair, renovation and restoration of water bodies.
    • Per Drop More Crop: The idea here is to promote the efficiency and utilization of water in such a way as to optimize the use of available water by using precision technologies like drip and sprinkler irrigation system.
    • Watershed Development: The objective of the program is to mitigate the adverse effects of drought on livestock and crops, and to encourage the restoration of ecological balance, thereby leading to the development of the village community.

 

Jal Shakti Abhiyan:

Topics covered from the Syllabus:

  • GS 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
  • GS 2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.

 

Context: As already stated above, India has limited availability of water as compared to the population and livestock it needs to support. Therefore, it is important to use water efficiently. Also, it is critical to conserve the available water, so that we do not face a shortage of water in the future.

 

Objective

The scheme is aimed at water conservation in 256 water-stressed districts across the territory of India, in a time-bound manner.

  • Water Stressed Districts: Central Ground Water Board classifies the districts as water-stressed based on the availability of groundwater in the districts. The districts in which groundwater level is critical and exploited are classified as water-stressed Districts.

 

Features

  • The scheme was launched on 1st July 2019.
  • It was launched by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, in coordination with the participating states and UTs.
  • Phases of the Scheme: The scheme has been divided into two phases:
    • Phase – I: It was carried out from July 1, 2019 to September 30, 2019 for the states in which major rainfall is attributed to the South-West Monsoon.
    • Phase – II: This phase was carried out from October 1, 2019 to 30 November, 2019 for the States which receive most of the rainfall from the North-East or Retreating Monsoon.
  • Funds: The scheme has not received any separate fund allocation from the government. It is monitored in conjunction with other schemes having similar objectives.

 

Intervention Areas

The activities under the scheme are carried out under five key areas of intervention:

  1. Water Conservation and Rainwater Harvesting: India’s dependence on the monsoon for the availability of water needs to be corrected by harnessing the rainwater in suitable structures. Therefore, multiple structures including check dams, trenches, ponds and other rainwater harvesting structures were created under the program to increase water conservation.
  2. Renovation of traditional water bodies and tanks: Under the scheme, not only new structures were constructed, but even the existing structures which have the potential to conserve water were renovated and restored to augment the supply of water.
  3. Construction of Reuse and Recharge structures: A variety of structures like soak pits and stabilization ponds were constructed for reuse of the wastewater, as well as for recharging the groundwater.
  4. Watershed Development: To enhance the conservation of water and to maintain the flow of water, it is important to focus on the watershed as a whole, as it addresses the problems of the water body holistically. It was accomplished by the construction of gully-plugs, percolation tanks and staggered trenches.
  5. Intensive Afforestation: It included an increase in the forest area by planting saplings in the area.

 

Other areas of intervention included:

  • Preparation of water conservation plans: The district and block-level plans for water conservation were prepared and collated at the state level to form a comprehensive strategy to conserve water.
  • Krishi Vigyan Kendra Melas: These events demonstrate the impact of scientific interventions and techniques on increasing the availability of water.
  • Scientific Support: The office of Principal Scientific Advisor and ISRO provided scientific support in the form of satellite data and other inputs. They also monitored the outcomes of the activities and the other interventions.
  • Use of technology: The scheme was monitored in real-time by using the JSA monitoring dashboard. The teams were able to upload the reports on the app and the data was shown on the appropriate user-friendly interface.
  • Community Participation: An important factor in the success of the scheme was the focus on the involvement of village leaders, community members and the youth of the region. More than 2.64 Crore people participated in the scheme, making it a community-driven initiative.

 

Outcomes

The scheme was successful in creating impact at the ground level like:

  • Increase in the groundwater level: A 20% increase in the groundwater level was observed in 12 states/ UTs involved in the scheme.
  • Increase in the surface water storage capacity: An additional 72 million cu. meters of surface water recharge was created by the interventions in the scheme.
  • Increase in the soil moisture: Under the scheme, 9 states showed an increase of 20% in the soil moisture.
  • Increase in the plantation area and number of saplings planted: Almost 1.8 billion saplings were planted, leading to an increase in the number of trees planted.

 

Contribution of Water Access to Education:

Topics covered from the Syllabus:

  • GS 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
  • GS 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

 

Context: Recently, the government had launched a campaign to prioritize water access to Anganwadi Centers (AWCs) and schools, within a period of 100-days.

 

Issues with unavailability of Water:

  • COVID-appropriate behavior: COVID-19 has changed the approach to education globally. While most of the education has shifted online, it is imperative to prepare for the times when children are back in schools. Considering the congestion in the education system, there would be a need to continue the COVID-related norms in the schools like wearing masks and cleaning the hands. Frequent cleaning of the hands and disinfecting would require regular furnishing of soap and supply of clean, drinking water. Therefore, the campaign is a step in the right direction.
  • Implement infection prevention and cleaning protocols: Also, COVID has brought about a focus on keeping the environment clean and sanitized at appropriate intervals. Again, to keep the schools and the related infrastructure clean, an adequate supply of water would be required, apart from other cleaning aids like disinfectants and sanitizers.
  • Running water in toilets: The level of infrastructure in public schools, especially in the rural areas, leaves much to desire. Appropriate toilets with a clean flushing mechanism are generally an exception, rather than a norm. In the absence of running water in toilets, it is difficult to keep them clean, leading to repulsion to the usage of such toilets. For many children who might require regular usage of toilets, this can be the difference between regular schooling and being a dropout. It goes without saying that such unclean toilets are a hotbed of water-based and other infectious diseases.
  • Menstrual Hygiene: A major problem with adolescent girls is the lack of awareness regarding menstrual hygiene, which is exacerbated by the absence of such facilities at the public schools and the education system, in general. The level of sex education in India is appalling, leading to peer flow of inaccurate information, as well as an attitude of embarrassment and ignorance towards menstrual hygiene, leading to complications in personal health.
  • Increased Absenteeism in girl students: Since the school-going girls are unable to access hygienic facilities at the schools, they are forced to stay at home during the menstrual period. This leads to gaps in education and disturbs the continuity of learning. In the long run, this can lead to dropouts of girls from the education system and increase gender inequality in the country.

 

Benefits:

  • Regular Schooling: The presence of clean drinking water in the school premises and a regular supply of water in the toilets promotes regular schooling and better attendance. It reduces gaps in learning outcomes, providing a handsome return on the investment. In fact, every dollar invested in water access and sanitation yields an average of $6.80 in return. Therefore, any investment in water infrastructure is critical to the development of human resources in the country.
  • Prevention of Diseases: Similarly, a stagnant water body or unclean toilets because of the absence of running water exacerbates the spread of infectious diseases in the environment. On the other hand, a regular supply of water promotes good habits like regular cleaning of hands and maintenance of personal hygiene.
  • Learning new hygiene habits: Water in toilets is essential for cleaning, especially the adolescent girls, who require appropriate infrastructure for maintenance of good menstrual hygiene practices.

 

Conclusion

The 100-day campaign by the Ministry of Jal Shakti has received a good response from the States and Union Territories, with multiple states reporting 100% saturation in the coverage of water supply to schools and Anganwadi Centers. Such states include Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Goa and Tamil Nadu. Other states are on the course of achieving the targets. This bodes well for the future of education in the country.

 

Centrality of Women in Water Management:

Topics covered from the Syllabus:

  • GS 1: Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
  • GS 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
  • GS 2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections

 

There is a need to involve women in all the stages of the water use cycle, viz. planning, implementation, management, operation and maintenance.

 

Reasons for women having a major role in water supply management

  • Collection of Drinking Water: In most societies, the collection of drinking water has been traditionally associated with women. Historically, women have travelled long distances in search of water from different sources like wells, rivers, canals etc. Therefore, they have a larger interest in the building of water infrastructure on account of time and energy consumption and reduction in drudgery.
  • Management of drinking water: It refers to the availability of water for all needs of the family and the animal husbandry. Women are expected to know the seasonal availability of water as well as the schedule and timings of water supply, if available in the vicinity.
  • Role as Health care-takers of the family: Generally, it is the women who are considered the traditional care-givers in the family. It is they who bear the burden of taking care of the children, elderlies or even the other adults in the household when any of them falls ill. Therefore, they are expected to understand the importance of clean drinking water to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases in the family as well as the community.

 

Issues with women collecting water

  • Time Consumption: As already stated above, the sources of water were usually situated far away from the homes in the earlier times. This meant a long to and fro walk for the collection of water. Therefore, earlier one major issue for the women was the wastage of time associated with the collection of water. However, to their credit, women used the time to socialize and meet with the other women from the community.
  • Loss of Development: Many a time, when the adults were engaged in other daily chores, the responsibility of water collection used to fall upon the younger generation of the family. Prevalence of patriarchal society usually meant that the male child would be allowed to go to school, at the cost of the female child. Females were treated as a burden, only to be married at the appropriate age.
  • Drudgery: The collection of water was a repetitive task, which needed no intelligence or creativity. To a person, who is doing the same task daily year after year, this would mean a loss of intellect and height of boredom. The drudgery meant that as time progressed, the females abandoned hope for personal development and ambition for personal growth.
  • Health issues: Carrying multiple vessels to collect water can be a tough task for a fragile body frame, not accustomed to physical exercises and prone to weak muscles. Also, since the women had to carry the vessels generally on top of the head, they faced an increased risk of neck pain, backache and slip-disc, if they were not careful during the return journey, loaded with water.
  • Water-borne diseases: Even during the present day, the apparatus to test water quality is not readily available in rural areas. Therefore, it is very difficult to know whether a source of water has been polluted. For e.g. many times, the carcass of a dead animal is floated in the water bodies, leading to impurities and pollution. Similarly, increasing use of chemicals, like pesticides, weedicides and fertilizers, leads to seepage and pollution of groundwater.
  • Safety and security: Rural areas have generally experienced an erratic water supply due to the low priority accorded to drinking water and general availability of drinking water in the countryside. However, irregular supply sometimes might lead to early or late hours collection. This might increase security risks for the women, apart from fear of attack of the wild animals.

 

Expectations from Women

  • Likely to contribute Effort and Time: Since women bear the burden of taking care of the bed-ridden and ill members of the family, therefore they are expected to be keener to learn the nuances and different aspects of the impact of clean water on the health of family members. Therefore, they can be considered the core members and stakeholders in the project to provide water infrastructure in the village.
  • Resolution of political issues: There are multiple power-centers in a society, which tends to lead to system breakdown due to the ego-clashes and political/caste differences in the community. This can be overcome by the women of the society, who are the chief promoters of the community mobilization, as required for the continuity of the projects in the rural setting.
  • Inclusiveness: Involvement of the women in the project and providing them an effective role in the decision making has multiple benefits including enhancing the accountability of the project and an increase in self-confidence. They have a keenness to learn the link between the provision of drinking water in the community and the maintenance of better health practices.

 

Way Forward

  • Participation in Village Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC): The Pani Samiti or VWSCs can have a more fruitful impact on the maintenance of water supply in the village, if 50% participation of women is made mandatory in such Samitis. Also, the other vulnerable sections like the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes need to be represented in the Samitis in proportion to their strength in the region.
  • Role of Panchayats: As per the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts, one-third of the members of Panchayats should be women, with rotational policy for the chairperson. It is important to have capacity-building programs for such women for improving their contribution in the Samitis and providing them more power to influence decision-making.
  • Interaction with women’s groups: Aajeevika and National Rural Livelihood Mission have created almost one Crore Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the country, with women emerging as the main beneficiaries of the scheme. Due to their regular meetings, the groups have the potential to be a voice for the women in government programs and schemes, including water-supply related schemes in the country.
  • Gender Sensitization: There is a need to make the technicians and engineers associated with the scheme gender-sensitive, so that they understand the importance of participation of women in the scheme and are more sympathetic to the idea. This can be augmented by recruiting and making more women a part of the implementation teams.
  • Need for Special Recognition of Women Leaders: Any special contribution of women needs to be recognized to create synergy between the women members as well as evolving a pathway for them to contribute effectively in the societal functions.
  • Need for gender-specific Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material: It is critical to include the gender-transformative role of women in the decision-making apparatus of the community. Also, they need to be made aware of their role in the community by providing them detailed information on their expected behavior through regular training programs.
  • Mandatory Certification: Women can also be made accountable for providing a completion certificate to the implementing teams denoting their satisfaction with the quality of public works in their area. This would inculcate an attitude of recognition of the contribution of women in societal development.

 

India’s Inland Waterways Plan:

Topics covered from the Syllabus:

GS- 3:

  • Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
  • Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

 

  • India has not fully utilized its network potential of inland waterways, as is evident from the lesser contribution of inland waterways towards transportation as compared to other countries.
  • The rivers, canals, backwaters and creeks, together comprise about 20,235 kms of navigable waterways, which are spread across 24 states in India. Out of these, 17,980 kms belong to the rivers and 2,256 kms are canals.
  • The traffic on inland waterways is expected to rise from 72 MMT in 2019-20 to 110 MMT in 2022-23.

 

Legal Framework

  • Inland Waterway Authority of India: IWAI was set up to develop and regulate inland waterways in India for shipping as well as navigation.
    • It was formed in 1986 with head office at NOIDA.
    • It functions under the Ministry of Shipping.
  • National Waterway Act, 2016: Apart from the five National Waterways, which existed earlier, the act declares 106 additional waterways as National Waterways.

Important Waterways

S. No.

Waterway

Distance (kms)

River stretch

Places connected

1

NW-1

1620

Ganga – Bhagirathi - Hoogly

Haldia (Sagar) and Allahabad

2

NW-2

891

Brahmaputra

Sadiya and Bangladesh border

3

NW-3

205

West Coast Canal

Udyogmandal Canal

Champkara Canal

Kottapuram to Kollam

4

NW-4

1078

Godavari

Krishna

Kakinada to Puducherry

Wazira to Vijayawada

5

NW-5

623

Brahmani

East Coast Canal

Matai river

Mahanadi

Talcher to Dhamra

Geonkhali to Charbatiya

Charbatiya to Dhamra

Mangalgadi to Paradip

 

Benefits of Waterways over other means of transport

  • Energy consumption: Waterways consume lesser energy than other means of transport. In an energy-intensive economy like India, saving energy in all potential sectors is the priority as we are dependent on oil imports from other countries.
  • Economical: India has one of the highest logistical costs in the world, amounting to about 14% of the GDP as compared to the global average of 8% of the GDP. Waterways can be a useful mode of transport in this scenario as they are comparatively cheaper than the other modes of transport, including rail and road transport.
  • Saves Forex: As stated above, India is dependent upon the middle eastern and other oil-exporting nations for our oil imports. This not only causes a drain on the precious foreign exchange but also compromises the fuel security of the nation. Also, in case of any disturbances in the middle eastern region, the rise in crude oil prices upsets the balance of the economy. Therefore, the development of waterways is critical to the fuel security of the nation.
  • Environmentally Sustainable: Since waterways consume lesser fuel, they have a very low ecological footprint. This bodes well in India’s fight against climate change and could be an important factor in meeting Indian commitments under the Nationally Determined Contributions as a part of the Paris Climate Agreement.
  • Recreation: Inland navigation and Shipping can be used to boost tourism by providing better facilities on the rivers and their banks. For e.g. various means of inland water transport like hovercrafts, water-taxis and seaplanes can be started to exploit the tourism potential of the rivers. Also, floating hotels can be opened in the rivers by taking inspiration from the houseboats in Kerala backwaters and Kashmir’s Dal Lake, at the picturesque locations in the waterways.
  • Religious Tourism: Inland waterways can also be useful in promoting religious tourism as many major pilgrimage sites are situated on the banks of rivers like Varanasi, Prayagraj etc. Also, in the animist religious culture of India, the origin points of rivers are revered as the rivers are considered deities. For e.g. Gangotri, Yamunotri, Trimbakeshwar, Tala-Cauvery etc. They can be connected via inland waterways to improve the connectivity from nearby tourist hotspots.
  • Takes off load from the Road transport: As of now, road transport is the chief mode of transport in the country. However, switching from road to inland water transport can provide various benefits:
    • Lesser Congestion: The National Highways and roads are blocked due to the presence of vehicles, which are many times more than the carrying capacity of the road transport. Providing an alternate mode of transport like Inland waterways can relieve the traffic congestion off the highways.
    • Lesser cost: Road transport costs more for transporting per unit weight of the cargo as compared to water-based transport. Therefore, creating better infrastructure in inland shipping can boost the economy, by incentivizing the logistical companies.
    • Lesser Pollution: Road transport consumes more fuel per unit weight of transport. Therefore, inland shipping has the potential of decreasing the carbon footprint of the country and encouraging cleaner transportation of goods.
    • Lesser road accidents: 40% of accidents in India happen on National highways. The major factor contributing to the accidents are overworked drivers, unsuitable roads and lack of traffic etiquette in India, apart from other reasons. Inland waterways can decrease traffic congestion, thereby decreasing incidents of accidents and promoting road safety.
    • Lesser noise pollution: Inland ships are comparatively quieter than means of road transport. This will increase the standard of living for the people living close to National Highways.
    • Strikes by transporters: A nationwide strike by the road transporters has the potential to choke the road transport, also called the arteries of the country. In the presence of alternate modes of transport, the consumers would have the option to switch to inland shipping, thus, maintaining the flow in the economy.
    • Land Acquisition for highway projects: Land acquisition in India has turned out to be a politically sensitive issue, with political parties usually siding with the farmers due to opportunistic reasons. Also, it leads to cost and time over-runs in the project. Instead, use of inland shipping has no such obstructions. It will require minimal land acquisition for the construction of river ports, which can be managed easily by the government.

 

Issues with National Waterways

  • Insufficient Financial Outlays: Despite its inherent benefits, the inland shipping sector has suffered from a lack of financial outlays, thus exacerbating the problem of dependency on road transport. Dredging the rivers and construction of river ports require a financial commitment from the government, in the interest of improving the transport system in the country.
  • Long gestation period: There are multiple stages involved in constructing an inland waterway, including conducting a hydrographical survey, construction of river port, connecting to other modes of transport etc. This increases the quantum of time in which the outcomes are visible. This is not convenient for the political parties, which must justify their performance reports in the elections. Thus, inland waterways have been pushed to the backburner.
  • Lack of expertise: Due to the lack of focus on the development of river transport in India, the required expertise is not available in the country, thereby complicating the development of inland transport in India. There is a need to invest in capacity building as well as research in the area.
  • Rough flow of rivers: Himalayan rivers comprise the major waterways in India. Since the Himalayas is a relatively new mountain, there are young geological structures, which impede navigation in the rivers. The presence of waterfalls, rapids and cataracts is not conducive to the development of inland transport.
  • Lack of a well-developed Shipping industry: Despite India being one of the largest maritime countries in the world, with more than 7500 kms of coastline and vast potential of inland waterways, the shipping industry is comparatively under-developed in India. This turns out to be an important factor as a well-built shipping industry could turn out to be the pressure group, promoting the investment of capital by the government in the development of shipping lanes in the country.

 

Way Forward

  • Initial Support: There is a need to handhold the shipping industry as the sector is still at the nascent stage of development. However, any investment in the sector is sure to give handsome returns in the future as inland waterways have the potential to save money as well as lower the carbon footprint of the country. In pursuance of this, the Ministry of Shipping removed the usage charges on waterways for three years in 2020.
  • Simplify Administration: Inland waterways suffer from a multiplicity of regulation including Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ministry of Shipping and other overlapping jurisdictions. This creates a complexity of regulations and multiple conflicting rules, leading to confusion among the stakeholders. Therefore, there is a need to unify the authorities and create a singular hierarchical structure for faster and reliable communication in the sector.
  • Promotion of Ease of Doing Business: For the bright future of inland shipping, the sector needs to be self-sustainable. This requires capital adequacy and enhanced interest of the private sector in the development of inland shipping in the country. Therefore, the commercial enterprise needs to be promoted in the sector and the focus should be on encouraging ease of doing business for the industries.

 

UPSC PYQs

  • Elaborate on the impact of the National Watershed Project in increasing agricultural production from water-stressed areas. (GS3 – 2019)
  • What is water-use efficiency? Describe the role of micro-irrigation in increasing the water-use efficiency. (GS3 – 2016)

 

Mains Questions:

  • The philosophy behind Jal Jeevan mission is the right to clean drinking water for every citizen in India. Discuss other such programmes in India with a rights-based approach for the benefit of citizens.
  • Examine the potential of inland waterways in India, throwing light on the efforts in the direction till date. Also, explain its advantages over other means of transport.
  • Analyze the spatial and temporal impact of water stress in India. Also, suggest the measures to improve the efficiency of water utilization in India.
  • Do you agree with the philosophy behind making women as the most important stakeholders for bringing tap water to the community under the Jal Jeevan Mission? Justify, with suitable arguments. Also, suggest measures to improve the participation of women in the development programs.
  • Differentiate the objectives of Jal Shakti Abhiyan from the objectives of Jal Jeevan Mission, accounting for the performance of the two programs. Also, give an account of other schemes by the government of India to improve the management of water in the country.
  • Analyze the importance of availability of water in the schools to encourage improvement in learning outcomes for the students. What steps have been taken in this direction?
Print PDF