Following are the salient features of the initiatives taken by the Union Ministry of Water Resources during the year 2013:
Bilateral Co-Operation Understanding in Water Resources Development and Management with Government of Rwanda
India and Rawanda singed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on bilateral co-operation in Water Resources Development and Management. From Indian side it was Union Water resources Minister Shri Harish Rawat while from Government of Rawanda it was Dr. (Mrs.), Agnes M. KALIBATA, Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources who were the signatories in a function held here in New Delhi on 23rd January,2013.
13 Children from Across the Country bags Prizes in 3rd National Painting Competition on Water Conservation A total of 13 school children from across the country were awarded for their paintings in the 3rd National Painting Competition on water conservation held in A.P. ShindeSymposium Hall, NASC Complex, PUSA, New Delhi on January 21st, 2013 from the hands of Union Water Resources Minister Shri Harish Rawat. The completion was organised by the Central Ground Water Board, Ministry of Water Resources.
Redesigned Website of National Projects Construction Corporation Limited Inaugurated Shri Dhruv Vijai Singh, the then Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, inaugurated the redesigned website of National Projects Construction Corporation Limited (NPCC Ltd.) on 07th January, 2013. The redesigned website is as per the Guidelines for Indian Government Websites (GIGW) with followings special features.
• Dynamic Content Management System.
• Website is complaint of Guidelines for Indian Government Website (GIGW) issued by Government of India.
• Website has been Security audited by DOT empanelled auditor for hacking & other security related issues.
• Bilingual (English & Hindi).
• Latest website design technology.
• Dynamic Content Management System.
• Website is complaint of Guidelines for Indian Government Website (GIGW) issued by Government of India.
• Website has been Security audited by DOT empanelled auditor for hacking & other security related issues.
• Bilingual (English & Hindi).
• Latest website design technology.
Union Budget 2013-14 Highlighted Five inland Waterways have been Declared as National Waterways
In the Union Budget proposals for the financial year 2013-13 Five inland waterways were declared as National Waterways. Announcing this in the budget proposals tabled in theLok Sabha on 28th February, 2013. Union Finance Minister Shri P.Chidambaram said the Minister of Water Resources will move a Bill in Parliament to declare the Lakhipur -Bhanga stretch of river Barak in Assam as the sixth national waterway. Preparatory work is underway to build a grid connecting waterways, roads and ports. The 12th Plan has an adequate outlay for capital works, including dredging, on the national waterways. The objective is to choose barge operators, through competitive bidding, to transport bulk cargo on the national waterways. The first transport contract has been awarded in West Bengal from Haldia to Farakka.
Ministry of Water Resources notifies the Final Award of CWDT
Ministry of Water Resources has notified the Final Award of CWDT dated February 5, 2007 on 19th February, 2013. It was pursuant upon a Supreme Court observation made on January 4, 2013, that party States did not have any objection to the final decision of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) being notified.
India Water Week-2013 organized
Ministry of Water Resources organized the “India Water Week-2013 from 8th-12th April, 2013 in New Delhi with the theme “ Efficient Water Management : Challenges and Opportunities”. The event will have two major components namely, Multi-disciplinary Dialogue in form of a Conference and a concurrently running exhibition enriching the theme and showcasing the technologies in water sector.
India Water Week-2013 organized
Ministry of Water Resources organized the “India Water Week-2013 from 8th-12th April, 2013 in New Delhi with the theme “ Efficient Water Management : Challenges and Opportunities”. The event will have two major components namely, Multi-disciplinary Dialogue in form of a Conference and a concurrently running exhibition enriching the theme and showcasing the technologies in water sector.
Policy on Groundwater Exploitation
Ministry of Water Resources formulated a Model Bill to regulate and control groundwater development and management in the Country. The same was circulated by the Ministry to all the States/ Union Territories for enactment. So far 14 States/ UTs namely, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, UTs of Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Chandigarh and Dadra & Nagar Haveli have enacted the legislation. The responsibility to protect ground water from contamination lies primarily with the States concerned. For protection of ground water from contamination, Government of India have also taken various steps including constitution ofWater Quality Assessment Authority (WQAA). Besides, reports on ground water and Surface water pollution hotspots are uploaded to WQAA website for public use.
Hydro-Meteorological Data Dissemination Policy (2013) Released
Ministry of Water Resources released in public domain the draft Hydro-meteorological Data Dissemination Policy on 07th March, 2013. It is in pursuance of the recommendations of the National Water Policy (2012) for placing all hydrological data, other than those classified on national security consideration. It was also circulated amongst related Ministries/Departments. Based on the comments received, the Hydro-meteorological Data Dissemination Policy (2013) has been modified and finalized.
Declaration of the Year 2013 as “Water Conservation Year-2013”
The Union Cabinet on 07th May,2013 gave its approval for declaring the year 2013 as “Water Conservation Year 2013. A number of mass awareness activities will be undertaken during Water Conservation Year 2013 with emphasis on sensitizing the masses on water related issues, encourage them to conserve and use it judiciously.
Draft National Water Framework Bill, Draft River Basin Management Bill andDraft National Policy Guidelines released for Water Sharing/Distrution Amongst States for Comments.
The Ministry of Water Resources released Draft National Water Framework Bill, Draft River Basin Management Bill and Draft National Policy Guidelines prepared by the Ministry of Water Resources on June 24, 2013 for getting comments on Water Sharing/Distribution amongst States/Union Terrritories anr related Ministries through expert Committees. The same was also uploaded on the ministry’s website “http://wrmin.nic.in”.
Approval of Research and Development programme in water sector for the XII Plan period The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the continuation of the research and development programme in the water sector with an outlay of Rs. 360 crore during the XII Plan on 17 July, 2013 The scheme aims to improve available technologies to achieve optimal efficiency and economy in planning, design, construction and operation of water resources projects.
Committee Constituted to Understand the Possible Causes of Recent Flood and Land Slides in the State of Uttarakhand and Suggest Remedial Measures The Ministry of Water Resources constituted a committee to understand the possible causes of recent flood and land slides in the State of Uttarakhand that caused a considerable loss of life and property. The committee was headed by Chairman, GangaFlood Control Commission, Patna comprised of representatives from Central Water Commission, India Meteorological Department and Ministry of Water Resources. The committee will study various issues including the river bank erosion, the river draining systems, effect of sedimentation downstream and also the effectiveness of flood warning systems, the monitoring of lakes in the high altitudes including glacier lakes that could be a part of a more effective early warning system for flash floods. The committee has been asked to finalize its recommendations in three weeks after visiting the field sites.
Ground water management and regulation scheme for the XII Plan period
On August 29, 2013 the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval for continuing the scheme of Ground Water Management and Regulation with new components of aquifer mapping and participatory ground water management by the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR). The scheme involves an expenditure of Rs. 3,319crore during the XII Plan period.
The scheme will be implemented in parts of 28 States and 7 Union Territories (including NCT of Delhi) of the country covering 8.89 lakh sq km during the XII Plan period. The remaining mapable area of 14.36 lakh sq km will be taken up in the XIII Plan period.
Special Committee for Interlinking of Rivers
As per the Supreme Court directions a Special Committee for Inter linking of Rivers was constituted by the Ministry of Water Resources vide Office Memorandum dated 06.05.2013 and 28.05.2013.
The conclusions/recommendations given by NCAER in its report had mentioned various benefits of Interlinking of river programme such as additional benefits of irrigation and power, increase in growth rate of agriculture, growth of direct & indirect employment, improvement in the quality of life of people in rural areas and mitigation of floods and drought etc. The study was also uploaded on web site of National Water Development Agency i.e. www.nwda.gov.in. The NCAER report has mentioned about the various benefits of the Interlinking Projects as a whole and does not indicate its benefits State-wise. No comment has been received from any State Government.
Continuation of Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme and Scheme of National Projects in XII Plan
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval for continuation of the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) on 12th September, 2013 with a total outlay of Rs. 55,200 crore. It is expected that States would create an additional irrigation potential of 8.7 million hectare.
The CCEA also approved two related schemes namely the National Projects and Command Area Development & Water Management (CAD & WM) during the XII Plan with a total outlay of Rs. 15,000 crore. This would help in creating irrigation potential of 7.6 million hectares.
Human Resources Development and Capacity Building Scheme for the XII Plan Period
On 3rd September, 2013 the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the implementation of the Human Resources Development and Capacity Building Scheme in the Ministry of Water Resources, with a total financial outlay of Rs. 351 crore during the 12th Plan period. This scheme was intended to propose generating awareness about water use efficiency, conservation and management of water by targeting various stakeholders including general public, school children, agriculturists, industrialists and other waterusers.Under it Existing training institutions will be strengthened. They include National Water Academy (NWA), Rajiv Gandhi National Ground Water Training & Research Institute (RGI), North Eastern Regional Institute of Water and Land Management, Tezpur(NERIWALM), Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), Central Water Commission (CWC) and also officers of the Central and State Governments.
Constitution of Supervisory Committee on Babhali Barrage The Union Cabinet today on 17th October, 2013 gave its approval for constitution of the 3-Member Supervisory Committee on the Babhali Barrage to implement the directions of the Supreme Court in its order dated 28.02.2013.
The Committee will comprise one representative from the Central Water Commission who will be the Chairman of the Supervisory Committee and one representative each from the State Governments of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, respectively.
The Committee will comprise one representative from the Central Water Commission who will be the Chairman of the Supervisory Committee and one representative each from the State Governments of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, respectively.
