National Water Mission

The National Water Mission is one of the eight missions in the National Action Plan on Climate Change launched by the Prime Minister to tackle the threats of global warming. The objective of National Water Mission is “conservation of water, minimizing wastage and ensuring its equitable distribution both across and within States through integrated water resources development and management”.

Five goals identified in the National Water Mission:

1. Comprehensive water data base in public domain and assessment of the impact of climate change on water resources;
2. promotion of citizen and state actions for water conservation, augmentation and preservation;
3. focused attention to vulnerable areas including over-exploited areas;
4. increasing water use efficiency by 20%; and
5. promotion of basin level integrated water resources management

Capacity Building

• Support research on climate change and its impact on water resources
• Measures for mitigation of negative impacts of  projected changes in the water resources
• Adaptation and Management planning for judicious utilization of water resources

Exploring new sources

• Using Reverse Osmosis for sea water and brackish water desalinization.
• Recycle of water and reuse wherever possible.
• Technologies for water purification.
• Enhancing storage capacities in multipurpose hydro projects, and integration of drainage with irrigation infrastructures.
• Mandating water harvesting.

Some of the important features of the Mission are:

• Review of National Water Policy;
• Research and studies on all aspects related to impact of climate change on water resources including quality aspects of water resources;
• Expeditious implementation of water resources projects particularly the multipurpose projects with carry over storages;
• Promotion of traditional system of water conservation;
• Intensive programme for ground water recharge in over-exploited areas;
• Incentivize for recycling of water including wastewater;
• Planning on the principle of integrated water resources development and management.
• Ensuring convergence among various water resources programmes.

An autonomous Authority, National Bureau of Water Use Efficiency (NBWUE) is proposed to be set up in the XII Plan under Article 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to increase water use efficiency by 20% by March 2017.