Government drafts bill for 'equitable' river water sharing

NEW DELHI: Seeking to resolve several inter-state disputes over the sharing of river waters through model legislation, the Centre has come out with the draft National Water Framework Bill, 2016, to provide a mechanism to develop and manage river basins in an integrated manner so that every state gets an "equitable" share of a river's water without violating the rights of others.

The draft bill also pitches for establishing a river basin authority for each inter-state basin to ensure "optimum and sustainable" development of rivers and valleys and devises an integrated approach to conserve water and manage groundwater in a sustainable manner.

Since water is a state subject, the proposed legislation will not be binding on the states for adoption even if it becomes a law through Parliament in due course. It will work as a model bill for the states, giving them a framework to make local laws to use and conserve water.

The 26-page draft says every person has a "right to sufficient quantity of safe water for life" within easy reach of the household regardless of caste, creed, religion, age, community, class, gender, disability, economic status, land ownership and place of residence.

"The draft bill will go to the Union Cabinet for its approval. Once it gets the required nod, the Union water resources ministry will introduce it in Parliament," an official said but gave no time frame for its introduction. He added, "We have already sought the states' opinion. The ministry will take a call after analysing the states' views".

Keeping various water disputes in view, the draft bill proposes establishing institutional arrangements at all levels within a state, and beyond up to an inter-state river-basin level, to "obviate" disputes through negotiations, conciliation or mediation before they become acute.It also says that each river basin authority will prepare a master plan -for the river basin under its jurisdiction -comprising such information as may be prescribed. "The master plan, so prepared, will be reviewed and updated after every five years after due consultation ," it says.

The "statement of objects and reasons" of the draft bill, at the same time, makes it clear that the proposed legislation is "not intended to centralise water management or to change Centre-state relations in any way".