32-Water Right and Other Alternative to Groundwater Management in India.

Abstract

Today the nationwide major concern in water resource management is how to check the fast depleting ground water. The stage of groundwater development increased from 37.2 percent in 1998 to 58 percent in 2004 and the over-exploited blocks increased from 310 in 2001 to 839 in 2004. The existing economic, technical, social and regulatory methods have almost failed to tackle the problem. Pumping technology facilitated by subsidized or free power is mainly responsible for rapid expansion in the over-exploitation of groundwater resources in India for irrigation, domestic, industrial requirements and other uses. Many scholars and the Union and state governments propose stringent groundwater law in the country. Model Bill to "Regulate and Control of Groundwater Development" is being circulated by Ministry of Water Resources to all the state governments and advised that it be passed by all the states to deal with the problem of groundwater depletion. As per the Constitution water resource management falls under the State subject and it is the responsibility of respective states to manage their water resources. Surface water management remains the focal area of government as large investments were made in construction of dams and canals system. Ground water largely remains in the domain of private property except the experiment of public tubewells in north Indian states. In the era of privatization and emphasis on Public-Private partnership solutions to resolve the groundwater crisis is also guided by the macro policies. Despite this, Government still feels that Model Bill is panacea for the problem of over-exploitation of groundwater resources. Major overdraft problems have been addressed using an approach based primarily on education, extension, and crop system economics. The Water Right based approach covering legal and regulatory provisions and community management of groundwater resources has got better potential solution to the present problem of ground water in India. These two approaches are discussed in this paper.