An Imperative of National River Basin Policy

An Imperative of National River Basin Policy

Dr NR Jagannath- Water Resources Management & Institutional Reforms specialist

AN ABSTRACT: India contends with chronic inter-state water disputes over rivers like Krishna and Cauvery, fuelled by fragmented state management under the Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956, which entails more than a decade’s litigation delays instead of collaboration. A National River Basin Policy counters this by designating the river basin as the primary planning unit, adhering to Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) principles from the National Water Policy 2012, for holistic catchment development and equitable sharing amid climate variability and surging demands. ​ The policy establishes autonomous River Basin Authorities (RBAs) with a two-tier structure: a Governing Council of chief ministers for consensus on allocations and priorities, paired with an Executive Board of technical experts for execution and oversight. RBAs require IWRM master plans featuring satellite water mapping, efficiency benchmarks (e.g., 4,000 litters’/kg paddy irrigation), volumetric billing, and social-environmental assessments enforcing 10-30% environmental flows. Cooperative federalism advances via joint forums, India-WRIS data sharing, and arbitration modelled on Delaware River Basin Commission compacts and Australia's Murray-Darling Authority (2,750 GL flows). Analysis draws from literature reviews (Australian Water Partnerships 2024 on Krishna, SANDRP 2018 on organizations), Central Water Commission reports, and NRCP outcomes (2,520 MLD sewage in Ganga-Godavari). Comparative matrices of global models (Brazil's CBHSF, Mekong Commission) and India's 20 interstate basins project 20-30% efficiency gains and 70% litigation cuts, exposing gaps in tribunals and partial initiatives like Krishna quasi-councils.​ he National River Basin Policy is projected to significantly reduce inter-state water disputes by fostering pre-emptive consensus among states, potentially cutting conflicts by up to 70%, as evidenced by successful water governance models like the Delaware River Basin Commission. This shift from adversarial litigation to cooperative decision-making promises to enhance trust and collaborative management across river basins. Resource optimization constitutes another major outcome, with mandated adoption of techniques such as drip irrigation and volumetric metering expected to generate 20-30% water savings in agriculture, which currently accounts for 70% of water use. By improving efficiency in this critical sector, the policy aims to alleviate stress on water resources while supporting sustainable agricultural productivity. Ecological resilience will improve through enforced minimum environmental flows, helping to restore aquatic biodiversity as demonstrated by Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin’s 40% species recovery. Economic benefits include a 5-10% increase in GDP driven by integrated water infrastructure such as 10 GW of hydropower capacity, irrigation expansion across 20 million hectares, and watershed restoration on 5 million hectares. Additionally, the policy promotes social equity by enshrining community water rights and ensuring 30% representation of civil society in governance councils, addressing longstanding inequities in river basins like Cauvery. Diverse, sustainable funding sources—comprising central and state grants, user tariffs, and green bonds—will underpin these initiatives, securing financial viability for long-term basin management. State autonomy (Constitution List II), sectoral silos, and engineering biases hinder progress, necessitating political will and amendments. Rollout sequences RBA formation, master plans, state alignment, and GIS-monitored adaptation, outperforming generic policies for federal, hydrology-driven governance.

KEY INDEX TERMS: National River Basin Policy-Inter-state water Disputes-Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)-River Basin Authorities (RBAs)-Water Use Efficiency-Environmental flows-Cooperative federalism-Social equity in water governance