One of the propositions in the Water Security Plan drafted by the Central government is the introduction of the concept that water should be treated as an economic good or commodity.
This will lead to the separation of land and water rights, which means the owner of a piece of land cannot claim sole rights over the groundwater. However, it has been clarified that water left after meeting basic requirements for human survival and sustenance of the ecosystem will be treated as an economic good. Dr K. Venugopal, joint director of the groundwater department said that in Australia, land and water rights have been de-coupled and water is a commodity for trading.
“Equitable distribution of water and sustainable water management is the need of the hour,” he said. This is particularly significant of AP, which struggles with an ever increasing water shortage.
Water law reforms highlight use of water as an economic good, for which, rights over water access have to be revisited. “Wat-er users will be bestowed with the water rights, as well as the responsibility for judicious use and management of water, something that the government control has failed to achieve all these years,” said an official in the department. “The role of state will also change from that of a ‘service provider’ to a ‘service regulator and facilitator’,” he said.
Water law reforms also include the introduction of water user associations vested with considerable powers, and the setting up of local bodies or groundwater councils at gram panchayat and district levels, with a state level council at the apex for ensuring active participation of users and equitable distribution of groundwater.
“This will eliminate the role of bureaucrats, while a similar set-up can be tho-ught of for drinking water as well,” said the official. Further, the assertion over sole right to groundwater by land owners can be challenged as infringing on the basic human right to drinking water. Experts here are suggesting introducing principles like “polluter pays”, framing rules pertaining to environmental aspects and even fixing certain criteria for volumetric allotment of water and payment of bills to ensure equitable distribution of water resources.