National Water Mission: Objectives, Features & Benefits

The issue of climate change has been a rising concern across the globe. The Indian Government came up with the National Water Mission for securing and improving such conditions of natural resources in India. This scheme is likely to protect the elements of water and forestry against the threats of projected climate changes.

Are you interested in community participation in fighting against climate change? Find out all about the National Water Mission and how you can contribute!

This mission aims to conserve water as a natural resource and reduce its wastage. As India is struggling with its economic growth because of climate change issues and the extinguishing of natural resources, the Ministry of Environment and Forests launched this mission in 2008. According to the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), the National Water Mission aims to develop integrated water resource management, minimise wastage, and ensure equitable distribution across states.

Various situations relevant in India might have triggered the launch of this Rajiv Gandhi National Water Mission. These include a decline in the glaciers and snowfields of the Himalayas, increased drought and floods, declining groundwater quality, and increased coastal saline intrusion. The State Governments of India were instrumental in implementing necessary legislation for improving these areas with this mission.

If you wonder “what is National Water Mission”, it is connected to the bulk of environmental and global issues affecting Indian economic growth. While learning about this mission in detail, you should check out the following objectives of this National Water Mission. 

• Increase in water use efficiency by 20% with using regulatory mechanisms with different entitlements and pricing.
• Reducing storage both above and below ground, rainwater harvesting, equitable and efficient management structures.
• Empowerment of Panchayati Raj Institutions, urban local bodies, Water Users' Associations and primary stakeholders in the management of its resources.
• Inclusion of Interactive sessions with policymakers, capacity building and promotion of social communication.
• Promotion of participatory irrigation management, the efficiency of existing irrigation systems, with the rehabilitation of systems that have been run down.
• Sensitisation of elected representatives of overexploited areas.
• Provision of incentives for water-positive technologies in the industry.
• Encourage NGO participation in water resources management.

As you can understand, this National Water Mission aims to improve liquid natural resources and reduce the adverse effects of climate change. Throwing light upon this mission can become more manageable if you get an idea regarding its salient features, as discussed below.

Water Database and Impact of Climate Change

The National Water Mission in India aims to assess the impact of climate change on water conservation in India. It collects relevant data, conducts research to analyse the effects of climate change. Furthermore, it develops suitable models and techniques for efficient water utilisation. This mission will maintain the databases for these aspects to check the impact of climate change on water conservation and utilisation in India.

Citizen and State Action for Water Conservation

Previous studies have shown that the components of hydrological cycles will be negatively affected by climate change, resulting in growing issues with water availability. As the National Water Mission identifies, it calls for conserving the available water resources and augmenting the utilisable ones. The objective for saving water is achievable through storage of surface and groundwater with the active participation of stakeholders. On the other hand, water augmentation can be achieved by converting surplus flood water into something more utilisable.

Focus on the Over-exploited Areas

Various parts of India suffer from extreme water scarcity, particularly with the groundwater resources facing a significant decline. According to the National Water Mission findings, about 15% of the assessment blocks of groundwater are over-exploited. Moreover, about 14% of these blocks are in a critical state. Therefore, this mission focuses on water harvest, regulation of power tariffs for irrigation, and incentives for promoting underground water resources.

Increase in Water Efficiency Use

This National Drinking Water Mission aims at increasing the efficiency of water usage and utilisation up to 20%. For achieving this goal, this mission plans to improve water efficiency both on the supply and demand sides. Moreover, proper research in agriculture, industry and domestic water areas might be helpful. Based on such research, micro-irrigation, water positive technologies, promoting neutrality, recycling of water, etc., are also expected to show effective results.

Basin-level Integrated Water Resources Management

The Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission in India also aims to promote basin-level water resource management. It ensures a more equitable water distribution and prioritises watersheds vulnerable to flow changes. Moreover, it shall pass water policies to cope with rainfall and river flow at the basin level.

The National Water Mission aims at improving the efficiency of water utilisation to conserve it as a future natural resource in India. You probably understand the importance of this mission in managing water as a natural resource and handling the negative impact of climate change on water exploitation in India. The following benefits of this mission will help you understand its significance and expected outcomes further.

• Improving water use efficiency by 20%
• Incentivise for recycling water
• Comprehensive database management in the public domain
• Research and studies to assess the impact of climate change on water resources
• Promoting citizen and state actions for water conservation
• Promotion of its augmentation and preservation
• Attention to vulnerable areas, including over-exploited areas

Therefore, you can see that the National Water Mission is necessary for the future conservation and preservation of surface and ground-level water in India. The proper utilisation of this mission in India might help handle its different resources and manage any adverse effects of frequent climate changes on such natural resources.