Former Prime Minister of India - Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Speech of Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the 4th Meeting of National Water Resources Council

My Cabinet colleague Shri Arjun Charan Sethi,

Chief Ministers,

Minister of State for Water Resources,

Smt.. Chakravarti,

Ministers of Water Resources representing Chief Ministers,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I have great pleasure in participating in the 4th meeting of the National Water Resources Council.

We have gathered here to discuss various aspects of development and management of water resources. Together, they constitute a vital input for the social and economic progress of our country.

We have no doubt achieved a lot in our efforts to improve the harnessing and managing of our water resources. But a lot more remains to be done.

Indeed, one of the major challenges of the future will be to meet the demands of an expanding economy and increasing population for water. With reducing per capita availability, we have to devise ways and means for the optimum development of our water resources to meet these demands and thus overcome this challenge.

The success of our collective initiative to overcome this challenge will depend on putting into place the following:

· A comprehensive water resources information system that takes into account availability and demand;

· An institutional mechanism for the integrated development and management of resources in each river basin; and,

· Agreements on sharing of waters of inter-State rivers by co-basin States.

We also need to seriously consider how to tackle the problems of deteriorating quality of water, over exploitation of ground water, adverse impact on environment and adequate rehabilitation of those affected by development schemes.

These and other issues broadly form the agenda of this meeting and are encapsulated in the resived draft National Water Policy, which is before you.

I also look forward to the meeting deliberating over the proposed draft guidelines for water allocation among co-basin States so that consensus on this also can be eventually arrived at.

The draft Policy has been framed as a basis of discussion to arrive at national consensus to enable the optimum use of our water resources to contribute towards sustainable development on a long-term basis.

I have been informed that the draft of the Policy and the Guidelines have been formulated after discussions in the National Water Policy Board of which all the Chief Secretaries of the state governments are members.

I am aware that while there is consensus among most of the States on these documents, some of you have expressed apprehensions on three major issues:

· Putting into place a comprehensive information system;

· Setting up of river basin organisations; and,

· Allocating water among co-basin States.

A well-developed and transparent information system is a pre-requisite for development activities at both macro and micro levels. Development of water resources is no exception. An information system that provides data to co-basin States does not impinge on their rights; on the contrary, it facilitates better utilisation of their legitimate share of water.

One of the negative fallouts of the model of development of water resources has been the emergence of regional imbalances resulting from the absence of a holistic view. These imbalances can be corrected if there is an overall framework for the development and management of water. In order to achieve this goal, setting up of river basin organisations with adequate powers to act as facilitators has been proposed. There is apprehension that establishment of such organisations may impinge upon the inherent authority of State Governments or their rights to maintain irrigation structures.

The Central Government is, however, very clear that unless there is total unanimity among the participating State Governments, such authorities will not be created.

The issue of sharing of water by co-basin States is also a contentious issue. Absence of national Guidelines on allocation of water among co-basin States has primarily contributed to this situation.

The draft Policy includes a provision on the allocation of water among States. The National Water Board has proposed draft Guidelines to facilitate this allocation. These guidelines have been suggested with a view to ensuring fruitful discussions that will lead to adoption of procedures that safeguard the interests of the States while enabling equitable economic progress of inhabitants of any river basin.

I hope that apprehensions about these issues can be dispelled and differences ironed out through discussions.

I am, however, conscious of the agenda for today’s meeting being heavy. There are two important items on the agenda, the draft National Water Policy and the draft Guidelines.

I would like to suggest for the consideration of the members of the Council that we focus our attention on the more important item of the draft National Water Policy today. The draft Guidelines can be entrusted to a working group headed by Union Minister of Water Resources for harmonising views of all the State Governments and bringing a consensual draft for the consideration of the Council at its next meeting.

I would also like to touch upon another aspect of the development and management of our water resources before I conclude. My Government is committed to providing drinking water to every citizen, especially people living in villages and inaccessible areas. I call upon the State Governments to help us achieve this goal.

Apart from allocation of financial resources, we have to also collectively ensure that drinking water is given top priority while deciding the use of our water resources.

There is no gainsaying that we need to ensure adequate water supply to industry. But we must remember at all times that man comes before machine.

I look forward to this meeting having fruitful discussions on the drafts of Policy and the Guidelines for Allocation of Water among the States.

We have to ensure better management and optimum development of water resources if the water security needs of India are to be met.

The time to achieve this begins now.

Thank you.