Proposal to set up water disputes tribunal at conceptual stage

NEW DELHI: The proposal to set up a standing tribunal to adjudicate interstate river water disputes is still at a conceptual stage, the Government said today.

In reply to a question, Minister of State for Water Resources Sanwar Lal Jat informed the Lok Sabha that the mechanism for settlement of water disputes was already available in the form of Inter-State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956.

The ISRWD Act, 1956 was last amended in 2002 whereby adjudication of the water disputes was made time-bound after consultation with all state governments, he said.

As per Clause 12.2 of the National Water Policy 2012, a permanent Water Disputes Tribunal at the Centre should be established to resolve disputes expeditiously in an equitable manner.

However, the proposal to set up a standing tribunal to adjudicate interstate river water disputes is still at a conceptual stage, he said.