CONTENTS

Water is a prime natural resource, a basic human need and a precious asset of the State. Planning, development, operation and maintenance of all water resources to support the growth of the state economy and the well being of the population, in response to the growing need for drinking water, agricultural products, industrial production and electricity, a general improvement of living conditions and employment is of utmost importance. Planning and development of water resources need to be governed by the state's perspectives. The requirement of utilising all available water resources, surface and ground, in a judicious and equitable, as well as sound economic manner needs a well defined State Water Policy.

The State of Rajasthan is the second largest state in the country covering an area of 34.271 Million ha which is more than 10% of the total geographical area of the country. About 5% of the total population of the country resides in the state and it has more than 15.7 million ha of land suitable for agriculture. The State of Rajasthan is one of the driest states of the country and the total surface water resources in the state are only about 1% of the total surface water resources of the country. The rivers of the state are rainfed and identified by 14 major basins divided into 59 sub-basins. The surface water resources in the state are mainly confined to south and south-eastern parts of the State. There is a large area in western part of the state which does not have any defined drainage basin. Thus the water resources in the state are not only scarce but have highly uneven distribution both in time and space.

The ground water also plays an important role especially in agriculture and drinking water supply. The situation of ground water exploitation is also not satisfactory as in areas where surface irrigation is provided there is a tendency of not using ground water for agriculture which creates problem of water table rise and even water logging. On the contrary, in large areas of the State, ground water is being over exploited and the water table in some areas is going down even at the rate of 3 metre per year.

This background leads to the formulation of the following water resources development and management objectives:

a.Development of all utilisable water resources to the maximum possible extent, including surface water - local and imported - groundwater and waste water, for optimal economic development and social well-being.

The prime requisite for resources planning is a well developed information system. There should be free exchange of data among the various agencies and duplication in data collection should be avoided. Timely availability of reliable information, conveniently accessible to all users, is necessary as a tool for integrated planning of new projects, and for following up the performance of existing systems and the status of water resources. Following actions shall be taken in this regard:

Due to the high variability of hydrometeorological phenomena not all the potentially available resources can be harnessed and made utilisable. The overwhelming interest of the State is to bring, by physical and managerial measures, as much of the potentially available resources into beneficial utilisation as is physically and economically feasible.
The resources shall be conserved and the availability for use augmented by measures for maximising retention and minimising losses. Following actions shall be taken for maximising water availability:

Water resources development planning shall aim at assuring accelerated growth by contributing to the States economic and social advancement, and improving the general social and economic conditions of the population, while keeping the environmental and ecological balance. The State Water Policy shall be reflected in all plans recommended for implementation. Special attention shall be given to the non-structural elements of this policy, aimed at achieving the objectives of reduction of poverty, basic food self-sufficiency, overall economic growth, environmental well-being, progress of weaker sections of the population, etc.

Water resource development projects shall as far as possible be planned and developed as comprehensive and multi-purpose projects. All present and predictable future demands, including irrigation, domestic and livestock demand, industries, thermal and hydroelectric power stations,

pisciculture and recreation, and all sources of natural water as well as reclaimed wastewater must be considered. Provision for drinking water shall be a primary consideration. The study of the impact of a project, during its construction period as well as during its operational life, on human lives, settlements, occupations, economic and other social aspects, shall be an essential component of project planning.

Time and cost overruns and deficient realisation of benefits characterising most irrigation projects shall be overcome by upgrading the quality of project preparation and management. The under-funding of projects shall be obviated by an optimal allocation of resources, having regard to the early completion of ongoing projects as well as the need to reduce regional imbalances.

The following institutional and procedural reforms and manpower development in projects shall be carried out:

Institutional Reforms:

Human Resources Development:

Procedural Reforms:

For maintaining the existing structures and systems in satisfactory condition and timely modernisation, the following actions shall be taken:

The Dam Safety Organisation shall be reinforced and supported, at State level, for ensuring the trained staff in improved inspection, analysis and evaluation techniques of dams and other structures. Guidelines issued by State authorities on the subject shall be kept under constant review and periodically updated and re-formulated

Dam Safety Legislation may be enacted to ensure proper inspection, maintenance and surveillance of existing dams and also to ensure proper planning, investigation, design and construction for safety of new dams.

Exploitation of groundwater resources should be so regulated as not to exceed recharging possibilities, and also to ensure social equity. There should be a periodical reassessment on a scientific basis of groundwater potentials, taking into consideration the quality of the water available and economic viability. Following steps shall be taken in this regard:

Legal : Existing laws shall be amended /new legislation shall be enacted.

In the planning and operation of systems, water allocation priorities shall be to Drinking water, Irrigation, Power generation and Industrial and other uses in that order. However, these priorities might be modified if necessary in particular regions with reference to area specific considerations, and they may be different in the context of allocating water to existing consumers than in the context of planning the development of water resources for new consumers.

A detailed methodology for multi-priority analysis shall be developed for decision making in the Central Planning Authority to enable prioritisation in water resources planning and management.

The demands of drinking water, irrigation, power generation, industrial and other uses shall be studied scientifically for appropriate development and allocation of funds.

Adequate drinking water facilities shall be provided to the entire population both in urban and in rural areas. Future irrigation and multi-purpose projects shall invariably include a drinking water component wherever there is no dependable alternative source of drinking water. Drinking water needs of human beings and animals shall be the first charge on any available water and following actions shall be taken to fulfill this need:

Irrigation planning, either in an individual project or in a basin as a whole, should take into account the irrigability of land, cost-effective irrigation options possible from all available sources of water, and appropriate irrigation and drainage techniques. The irrigation intensity should be such as to extend the benefits of irrigation to as large as number of farm families as possible, keeping in view the need to maximise production.

Following measures shall be taken to ensure that the irrigation potential created is fully utilised, the gap between the potential created and its utilisation is removed, water allocation in an irrigation system is done with due regard to equity and social justice, disparities in the availability of water between head-reach and tail-end farms and between large and small farms should be obviated by adoption of a rotational water distribution system, supply of water on a volumetric basis subject to certain ceilings is introduced and there is close integration of water-use and land-use policies.

To achieve these objectives a multidisciplinary and integrated approach will be followed under C.A.D. programme.

c. Water charges shall be reviewed and realistic water rates shall be introduced.

d. Reclamation of waterlogged / saline affected land by scientific methods should form a part of command area development programme.

Water rates shall be so decided that it conveys the scarcity value of water to users and foster the motivation for economy in water usage. Rates shall be gradually increased to cover the annual maintenance and operation charges and part of the fixed costs to assure undisturbed and timely supply of irrigation water. Water rates shall be rationalised with due regard to the interests of small and marginal farmers. It shall be accompanied by volumetric measurement of water consumption in all sectors.

Farmers shall be involved in various aspects of management of irrigation systems, particularly in water distribution and collection of water charges through following measures:

d.Assistance of voluntary agencies shall be taken in educating the     farmers in efficient water use and water management.

Both surface water and ground water as well as soil quality shall be regularly monitored for quality and a phased program shall be undertaken for improvements in water quality. Government shall issue orders to routinely enter future water and soil quality figures in the water resources database and publish groundwater statistics and maps for River Basins. Proposals for contracting the work of water sampling and analysis to private operators will be studied.

Effluents should be treated to acceptable levels and standards before discharging them in natural streams.

Minimum flow should be ensured in the perennial streams for maintaining ecology and social considerations.

The efficiency of utilisation in all the diverse uses of water should be improved and an awareness of water as a scarce resource should be fostered. Conservation consciousness shall be promoted through education, regulation, incentives and disincentives by taking following actions:

Every drop of water needs to be conserved and optimally utilised for which detailed scheme shall be framed ensuring its time bound implementation.

Sound watershed management through extensive soil conservation, catchment area treatment, preservation of forests and increasing the forest area and construction of check dams shall be promoted to reduce the intensity of floods. Adequate flood cushion shall be provided in water storage projects whenever feasible to facilitate better flood management. An extensive network for flood forecasting shall be established for timely warning to the settlements in the flood plains, along with the introduction of regulation for settlements and economic activity in the flood-prone zones to minimise loss of life and property caused by floods. Master plan for flood control and management for each flood prone basin / area shall be got prepared. Due consideration to provide proper drainage shall also be given to build up capabilities to tackle water logging and salinity problems.

Drought prone areas shall be made less vulnerable to drought associated problems through measures listed below. In planning water resource development projects, the needs of drought prone areas should be given priority. Relief works undertaken for providing employment to drought stricken populations should preferably be for drought proofing.

Standardised training shall be a part of water resources management and should cover all its aspects and all personnel involved in it, including farmers. The State shall also encourage education of the public at large. Scholarships, study tours, incentives etc. shall be provided by the State to encourage and support training. Technology transfer shall be made obligatory on all technical assistance and consulting services. Emphasis on research on all matters related to water management shall also be given.

After a critical examination of rules, regulations, ordinances, legal and legislative measures related to the States water sector has been made, with a view to improve and streamline their scope and cover in the legal framework all aspects pertaining to water resources management, protection of water quality, flood protection, drought proofing, abstraction licensing, water rights, etc. the Government shall introduce the following measures:

The entire body of water-related laws and regulations will eventually be amalgamated into a State Water Law, which would, in addition to the above mentioned subjects, establish the State ownership of all the water resources within the State, as well as waters imported from outside the State under various agreements, and the requirement for any public or private entity or individual to obtain from the Government a permit to abstract surface water or groundwater, to utilise it, to sell or distribute it, or to dispose off after use. Permitting and enforcement rules and regulations will be spelled-out accordingly.