Summary Record of Proceedings of National Water Resources ...

11) Water PricingThe capital spent on water should be treated as an investment rather thanexpenditure. However, to maintain the water system efficiency, there should be aminimum water charges. Therefore, any mechanism that is evolved should be scientificand to be a very micro part of a total agriculture production of that particular year whichshould be assessed at the end of the year and this can be secured by an agriculturalinsurance cover. While envisaging the water rates, the stakeholders like farmers,domestic consumers should be part of the decision making.12) Project Planning - 3 EsAs far as Project Planning and implementation is concerned, a standardization ofproject planning has to be done which is possible through different modelingmethodologies. The project planning includes engineering, economics and ecology (3Es). These 3 Es should be dealt with a holistic approach rather than piecemeal which isnow in practice. As far as project implementation is concerned, a robust projectmanagement system software needs to be created for a timely completion of a project.The land related laws have to be made project friendly since they are the greatestimpediments in project implementation. Post Independence, the capital investment bythe Government of India and States is too low compared to number of peopledepending on water, food production which is ever increasing.13) Permanent Water Dispute TribunalPermanent Water Dispute Tribunal should be established in the Apex Court andits benches at all the States' High Courts on the lines of the Green Bench. It shouldhave a sitting Supreme Court Judge as its Chairperson with multi-members with theexperts from technical, environmental, geological, economical and legal fields.14) Water Resource Policy and the 12th Five Year Plan(i) Hon'ble Prime Minister, it is clear to all of us, that the Water Resources Policymust support the vision in the 12th Five Year Plan, apart from enabling the states torealize IWRM principles while embarking on sustainable development. The 12th FiveYear Plan objectives are sectoral and water resource intensive, contrary to the focusof the National Water Policy which aims at driving the water resource managementon the basis of the river basin approach. Therefore, this needs to be integrated.(ii) The goals in the Water Resource Policy and the 12th Five year plan need to betranslated into key water resources policies and strategies, programs andcustomized for the major basins, and then specified to the particular attributes of thevarious sub-basins. Government of India must support the states with technical andfinancial resources to develop such a suite of policies, strategies and programs, Thisneeds to be addressed as a matter of priority.44