Water Policy 2022 approved for better management of water resources

August 12, 2022 09:09 pm | Updated 09:09 pm IST - Bengaluru

With agriculture accounting for about 84% of water consumption and the estimated water demand set to reach 1,859 tmcft by 2025, the State Cabinet on Friday approved the Karnataka Water Policy 2022 for effective management of water resources.

The policy says that “water management is not a techno-managerial process” and it has multiple uses and multiple stakeholders. The State adopted a water policy in 2002 but due to changed scenarios of water availability and demand, it felt the need for a new policy.

The new policy will shift the focus from increasing water supply infrastructure to managing water within the available budget. The policy was revised to address the new challenges and make it more comprehensively integrated resource-management oriented to address the growing inter-sectoral demands and to ensure water, food, and economic security of the State.

The policy envisages the constitution of an inter-departmental State water resources authority under the chairmanship of the Minister for Water Resources and forming of a high-level water policy review and monitoring committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary.

The policy said “flood risks are to be controlled by real-time monitoring and forecasting technologies with provision of flood cushion during heavy rainfall and with effective communication between dam and managers and flood plain administration.”

Water management has assumed significance as 61% of the State is drought prone. Of the total water usage, approximately 26% is from groundwater, it said.

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