GS-I · Microtheme Deep DiveGeography10 PYQs linked

Water Management in India: Stress, Governance, Reforms

India has 18% of the world's population but 4% of freshwater. Frame every water answer around three deficits — physical, economic, and governance — and end with a demand-side, not supply-side, reform.

The stress diagnosis

  • Per-capita availability fell from 5,177 m³ (1951) to ~1,486 m³ (2021) — 'water-stressed'.
  • 89% of groundwater is used for agriculture; 17% of blocks are over-exploited (CGWB 2023).
  • 70% of surface water is contaminated (NITI CWMI).

Institutional architecture

  • Water is a State subject (Entry 17, List II); centre uses Entry 56, List I for inter-state rivers.
  • River Boards Act 1956, Inter-State River Water Disputes Act 1956 (amended 2019).
  • Composite Water Management Index (NITI); Jal Shakti Ministry (2019 merger).

Flagship interventions

  • Jal Jeevan Mission — 78%+ rural HHs with tap water (2024 dashboard).
  • Atal Bhujal Yojana — community-level demand management in 7 states.
  • PMKSY 'Per Drop More Crop', micro-irrigation.
  • National River Linking Project — Ken-Betwa first phase approved 2021.

Reform template

  • Move from 'more dams' to aquifer-level, participatory management.
  • Reform power tariff & MSP that subsidise water-intensive paddy/sugarcane.
  • Legal recognition of springshed and traditional systems (kul, ahar-pyne).
  • Adopt the Mihir Shah Committee 2016 model — a National Water Commission.

Common Pitfalls

  • Do not equate 'water management' with 'construction of dams' — inter-linking should be evaluated, not celebrated.
  • Avoid state-vs-centre polemics; cite Cauvery, Krishna, Ravi-Beas tribunal outcomes instead.

FAQs

Best single data point?
'Composite Water Management Index (NITI Aayog) — 21 major cities at risk of Day-Zero by 2030' remains the sharpest headline data.

UPSC Mains PYQs on this microtheme

WhatsApp