NEW DELHI: The ministry of water resources recently told the Lok Sabha members that the government has forwarded the national water policy to all states and Union territories for ‘appropriate action’. Water being a state subject, the state governments have to set up Water Regulatory Authority ( WRA ) in their respective states. However, not many states have not shown interest in forming WRAs.

The water rates should be such as to convey the scarcity value of the resource to the users and to foster the motivation for the economy in water use, stated the national water policy statement in 1987 while the national water policy - 2012 suggests various measures with respect to water pricing to ensure efficient use and reward conservation. However, not much has changed during all these years when it comes to valuing water.

The central government has made it clear that it is not considering any proposal to frame a special national water usage charge policy and states must take steps on their own. But states are dragging feet on pricing water.

Equitable access to water for all and its fair pricing, for drinking and other uses such as sanitation, agricultural and industrial, should be arrived at through independent statutory WRA, set up by each state, after wide-ranging consultation with all stakeholders, the national water policy has recommended.

The 14th finance commission inter-alia recommended that all states, irrespective of whether WRAs are in place or not, consider the full volumetric measurement of the use of irrigation water. States which have not set up WRAs, consider setting up a statutory WRAs so that the pricing of water for domestic, irrigation and other uses can be determined independently and in a judicious manner. Further, WRAs already established be made fully functional, the commission stated.

“The principle of differential pricing may be retained for the pre-emptive uses of water for drinking and sanitation, and high priority allocation for ensuring food security and supporting livelihood for the poor. Available water, after meeting the above needs, should increasingly be subjected to allocation and pricing on economic principles so that water is not wasted in unnecessary uses and could be utilized more gainfully” states the national policy.

It also suggests that Water Users Associations (WUAs) should be given statutory powers to collect and retain a portion of water charges, manage the volumetric quantum of water allotted to them and maintain the distribution system in their jurisdiction. WUAs should be given the freedom to fix rates subject to floor rates determined by WRAs.

“Major and medium irrigation projects are developed to benefit a large number of farmers of an irrigation command area. They are usually funded by the government. Government funding is from the taxes and other revenues raised from the public. Irrigation projects result in substantial financial benefits to the farmers of the command area. Hence it is necessary that appropriate cost recovery policies are developed by the government to recover the money spent on a project for investment in other projects which will benefit other members of the society” states a 2017 report by the central water commission.

