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With growing water scarcity, the priorities for the water agencies of the country have broadened from mere water development to encompass water allocation and water resources management. But the line agencies responsible for water resources and services management lack the capacity to meet the changing needs and priorities of the sector. Building institutional capacity warrants primarily the following: i] framing the right kind of water policies; ii] crafting the right kind of rules and regulations, institutions and instruments; and, iii] fostering the needed organizational changes among the agencies concerned with water allocation and sustainable water resources management. The article highlights three sets of key issues and challenges facing water resources management and water allocation in India from an institutional perspective. They are: a] team building of professionals with multi-disciplinary skills, to provide research and expert inputs for policy formulation, institutional design and design of economic instruments; b] mobilizing resources and skills for creating new organizations including development of local institutions, and restructuring wherever needed; and, c] augmenting the overall strength of technical staff in various departments engaged in water resources management and water-related services.
1.Introduction
The water management challenges in India are far many. As of 2011, nearly 88 per cent of the households have access to improved water supplies, with the percentage being below 84 per cent in rural areas. But, as per the data from 2011 census, the number of tap connections (within the household premises), which is indicative of good access to safe water, was as low as 14 per cent in rural areas. In urban areas, however, the number of tap connections within the household premises was 54 per cent, but the service quality is very poor. In the 35 metros of India, water supply is available only for a few hours in a day. As regards tariff, nearly 62 per cent of the urban consumers in metros having more than one million population have metered connections, the percentage being 50 per cent in smaller towns. In many cities and towns, the domestic connections are not metered at all. In order to achieve 100 per cent water security, India has to make significant progress in terms of strengthening the sector agencies.
Though India boasts of having the largest irrigated area...