The Centre has asked the State Government to enact a State Water Resources Regulation Act to regulate water resources in the event of any water scarcity.
And the Union Government has also urged the State to establish two institutions like a State Water Board headed by the Chief Minister and a State Water Council headed by the Chief Secretary to handle water resources management. National Water Mission (NWM) Mission Director Nikhilesh Jha has written to the State Government in this regard as many regions of the State are facing scarcity of water.
Water being a State subject, the Centre has advised the State Government to enact a State-specific framework for a State Water Policy, which would guide the water management system. The NWM Director has said water needs to be allocated equitably among the different sectors of use such as agriculture, industry and domestic use. And there is a need to fix the rate of water also for its use in these sectors.
lauding efforts of the Government of Maharashtra in this regard, the NWM has said Maharashtra has taken the initiative of enacting Maharashtra Water Resources Regulation Authority Act even before the Government of India has taken such a step.
The NWM has urged the Odisha Government to adopt the pattern of Maharashtra and enact an Act on similar line.
The authority created under the Act has been authorised to allocate water to different categories of users on the basis of the State Water Plan duly approved by the State Water Board (SWB), which would be chaired by the Chief Minister. The SWB would prepare the State Water Plan on the basis of river basin and sub-basin wise, and the State Water Council chaired by the Chief Secretary would examine details of the allocations and form corporations for scaling up the activities.
A State-specific action plan for water resources would be prepared, and financial assistance would be provided by the NWM for such an initiative, said Jha in his advice to the State Government.
The NWM has advised the field units of the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) to assist the State Government in preparing the action plan for water resources, said official sources.