A Review on Water Resources Availability and Management Practices in India

Abstract

Conservation and management of water resources is critically important for a vast and fast developing country like India. However, rapidly increasing population and continuous betterment of lifestyle has put tremendous pressure on water resources around major cities leading to alarmingly reduction in per capita water availability. Moreover, increasing fluctuations in precipitation over the country has only aggravated the problem. This paper presents the current and future water scenario in India and also discusses the impacts of various factors like population, pollution, mismanagement, climate change, government Jaws and regulations etc. on water resources and its availability. While emphasis has been laid on water productivity and various government initiatives, the paper also discusses and analyzes limitations in water management. Based on study and analysis, the paper finally recommends Best Management Practices (BMP) and Best Available Technologies (BAT) used and practiced worldwide for effective and efficient water management in India. The paper also highlights the importance of Public Private Community Partnership (PPCP) along with the recently developed monitoring tools and data information systems for sustainable and effective water resource management to meet present requirements without compromising the future needs.