Jal swaraj to secure hard won gains of Independence

Self-Government

The 13th National Panchayati Raj Diwas observed on 24th April 2023 also marked three decades of enactment of the 73rd Amendment Act, 1992. Article 40 of the constitution calls for enabling village Panchayats to function as self-government.?The 73rd Amendment Act has many landmark provisions such as reservation for women, Schedule caste and Tribes and formation of State Finance Commission. 29 functions of the government, enlisted in the eleventh schedule, were devolved for “planning” and “implementation” to Panchayati Raj Institutions for social justice and economic upliftment.

Way back in 1957, the Balwant Rai Mehta committee had recommended the formation of a three-tier Panchayati Raj System to evoke the participation of people and ownership of development programs. From 1960-2010, India’s population nearly tripled, and the country’s food production quadrupled. Today, however, the country is grappling with endemic issues of groundwater depletion.

Groundwater Challenges

India is the largest groundwater user globally at an estimated 251KM3 water consumption per year. This huge water extraction comes at the cost of depleted groundwater levels. Today, about 16% of assessment units (blocks/Mandals) have been categorised as ‘Over-Exploited’, 4% as critical and about 15% as semi-critical. WRG predicts that India will have half the water it requires by 2030. This by no means is a small threat.?

The Gangetic plains and northern states of India with alluvium soils are also facing severe groundwater depletion. According to the CGWB report, the state of Punjab will exhaust its water resources in 20-25 years. The Deccan region has largely hard rock formations with significantly lower groundwater potential.

Policy Perspective

Central Ground Water Board has been making efforts towards groundwater management since 1970. Since then, the Board has shared several model bills for regulating Groundwater without much adoption by the states. Even the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s judgement on treating water on principles of “sustainability” and “public trust doctrine” has not helped reverse the trend. Largely, states have developed regulatory measures for groundwater management for commercial purposes. ?

As more than 80% of groundwater is used for irrigation, we are probably not addressing the problem head-on. There are approximately 50 Million extraction units which cannot be regulated from the top. It is a clear realisation in National Water Policy, 2012, that groundwater could not be regulated by central or state authorities but as a community resource to be held by the state under the public trust doctrine.

Past Experiences

A holistic approach on supply and demand side management is key to sustainably managing water resources. HUF has undertaken this approach in Ushar Mukti program of West Bengal, in which MGNREGA and other state government schemes are converged towards ensuring water security in Gram Panchayats. Gram Panchayats take a lead role in bringing about this transition. Successful initiatives of convergence of state schemes from MGNREGA for water management include Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan (MMJSA) of Rajasthan and the Jal Yukta Shivir scheme of Maharashtra. Similarly, Atal Bhujal Yojana, is the world’s largest community-led groundwater management. Previous efforts towards groundwater management signal the need for local action ingrained within the democratic system.

Call for action

Aquifers after aquifers are on the cusp of cataclysmic and irreversible scenarios. Being silent or any inadequate action would be a Faustian compromise at the altar of future value creation, food security and drinking water availability.

The proposed National Water Framework Bill, 2016 underpins the need for “legislation and executive action on water at all levels of governance’’ for the protection, conservation, regulation, and management of water based on the constitutional provisions in the 73rd Amendment Act,1992. The acts empower panchayats. Panchayats are indubitably the closest guardian of water.

Since Independence, India has come a long way in bringing food security. For achieving SDGs, sustainable management of groundwater is crucial. Water management by the Panchayats, the state, would be good governance. Panchayats must play a key role in bringing about this Jal Swaraj. We already have many experiences, a framework and a constitutional mandate for the same. ?

(The author is with Hindustan Unilever Foundation (HUF) – and organisation dedicated to helping build a water-secure India.?The?views expressed are his own)