It provides the basic informations of the water sector in india and future challenges and possible solutions of it.

1. INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ROORKEE
WATER RESOURCES
DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA
MANISH SINGH
M. Tech- I year
Alternate Hydro Energy Systems
E-Mail: msingh.singh698@gmail.com

2. Water resources : an overview
• Water is a prime natural resource, a basic
human need and a precious asset.
• Main principle guiding the water resources
development in India has been to ensure
adequate supplies of water.

3. Rivers in India
• Twelve major rivers whose total catchment area
is 252.8 MHa.
• Ganga- Brahmaputra Meghana system is biggest
with catchment area 110 MHa which is more than
43% of all the major rivers in country.
• Other major rivers are Indus, Krishna,Godavari,
Mahanadi etc.
• Catchment area of medium rivers is about 25
MHa like Subernrekha with catchment area 1.9
MHa is largest.

4. Water in hydro power generation
• Water is an important source of input for generating
energy and electricity.
• Thus, development of water resources plays an
important role in the energy sector, particularly for hydro-
power generation, where there is no conjunctive use of
water and no environmental pollution.
• The hydro-power generation in the country is assessed
as 84,000 MW at 60% load factor and installed capacity
is about 148000 MW
• A number of such projects are also under construction
and at planning stage to further enhance the hydro-
power generation.

5. Water in irrigation
1. Being a predominantly agrarian economy more than
70% of India’s population lives in rural areas and about
65% of its working population is engaged in agricultural
activities.
2. Irrigation development in the country has been taken up
in a big way through major, medium and minor irrigation
schemes since independence.
3. The net irrigated area is about 68.2 MHa.
4. As irrigation is the most critical input for carrying out
agricultural activities, the development of irrigation
facilities has a major impact on agricultural productivity
in the country.

6. River basins in India
Source: Ministry of water resources

7. Water availability
Total precipitation
(4000 Billion Cubic
Meter)
Total water
availability
(1869 Billion Cubic
Meter)
Total utilizable water
(1123 Billion Cubic
Meter)
Surface Water
(690 Billion Cubic
Meter)
Ground Water
(433 Billion Cubic
Meter)
Source : Ministry of water resources

8. In 2025 : 843 Billion cubic meter
In 2050 : 1180 Billion cubic meter
Source : National Commission for Integrated Water Resource
Development Plan
Overall water demand

9. Per capita water availability
5177
2209
1820 1545
1341
1140
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
1951
1961
1971
1981
1991
2001
2011
2021
2031
2041
2051
2061
Water Scarcity = 1000 m3 /capita/year
Water Stress = 1700 m3 /capita/year
Per capita water availability in m3 /year
Source: Ministry of water resources
m3/capita/year
Years

10. Per capita water availability
41865
21764
9802 8153
3343 2346 2060 1545 1396
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
45000
Source: Ministry of water resources
m3/capita/year
Countries

11. Per capita water availability
Source: Ministry of water resources

12. Rainfall in India
• Great variations
• Unequal seasonal distribution
• Unequal geographical distribution
• Frequent departures from the normal
• Exceeds 1000 mm in areas to the east of
longitude 78 degrees

13. Rainfall in India
• It extends to 2500 mm along entire west
coast, western ghats, over most of Assam
and sub-Himalayan West-Bengal.
• On the west of the line joining Porbander to
Delhi and then Ferozpur rainfall diminishes
rapidly from 500 mm to less than 150 mm in
the extreme west.
• Most of the rainfall in India takes place under
the influence of South-West monsoon
between June to September.

14. Spatial variation of rainfall
Source: Ministry of water resources

15. Temporal variation of rainfall

16. Area liable to flood
Source: Ministry of water resources

17. Constitutional provisions on water
In the constitution, water is a matter included in Entry 17 of
List-II i.e. State List. This entry is subject to the provision of
Entry 56 of List-I i.e. Union List.
Entry 17 of List II (State List) of the 7th Schedule
“Water, that is to say, water supplies, irrigation and canals,
drainage and embankments, water storage and water power
subject to provisions of entry 56 of List I.”
Entry 56 of List I (Union List) of the 7th Schedule
“Regulation and development of inter-state rivers and river
valleys to the extent to which such regulation and
development under the control of the union is declared by
parliament by law to be expedient in the public interest.”

18. Constitutional provisions on water
Art. 262 Disputes relating to water - Adjudication of
disputes relating to waters of inter-State rivers or river
valleys .
• Parliament may by law provide for the adjudication of
any dispute with respect to the use, distribution or
control of the waters of, or in, any inter-State river or
river valley.
• Notwithstanding anything in this constitution,
parliament may by law provide that neither the
supreme court nor any other court shall exercise
jurisdiction in respect of any such dispute as is referred
to in clause (1).

19. National water policy
• The national water policy adopted in 1987.
• First priority for drinking water.
• Emphasis on physical and financial
sustainability.
• Rationalization of water charges.
• Well targeted and transparent subsidy on
water rates for disadvantaged and poorer
section.
• Encouragement for private sector
participation.

20. National water mission
• Comprehensive water database in public domain
and assessment of the impact of climate change
on water resources.
• Promotion of citizen and state actions for water
conservation, augmentation and presentation.
• Focused attention to over exploited areas.
• Increasing water use efficiency by 20% .
• Promotion of basin level integrated water
resources management.

21. Challenges in water sector
1. Ground water exploitation.
2. Pressure of industrialization and
urbanization.
3. Getting pricing right.
4. Impact of climate change.
5. Disconnect between federal and state
government.

22. Reforms in the Water Sector
1. Promote river basin organisations.
2. Ensure integrated water resource
management.
3. Support ground water governance.
4. Scale-up community-based tanks rejuvenation.
5. From ‘water resources development’ to ‘water
resources management’.

23. Efficient management
 Improvement in water use efficiency.
 Efficiency of irrigation system is relatively low.
Surface water : 35 –40 %
„Ground water : 65 –70%
 Scope for further improvement
„Surface water : up to 60% „
Ground water : up to 75%

24. References
1. http://www.wrmin.nic.in/forms/list.aspx?lid=242
2. http://www.eai.in/ref/ae/hyd/hyd.html
3. http://www.wrmin.nic.in/forms/list.aspx?lid=282&Id=4
4. http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/Water-Assessment.pdf
5. SECRETARY (Water Resources, River Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation) Published by Augusta Hall.
6. A.K., WATER RESOURCES - THE LAST FIVE DECADES,
http://pib.nic.in/feature/feyr98/fe0798/PIBF2207983.html
7. https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/154067/PrabhuBrief.pdf
8. http://agricoop.nic.in/sites/default/files/Annual_rpt_201617_E.pdf