Water management in India needs a new course, Pg6

Key Highlights:

• World Water Day 2025 highlighted Glacier Preservation, aligning with the UN's Decade of Action on Cryospheric Science (202534).

• A Source-to-Sea (S2S) approach is gaining global attention for linking upstream-downstream water systems, but Indias policy largely ignores it.

• Indias water crisis is marked by pollution, overextraction of groundwater, fragmented governance, and inefficient waste management.

• 311 polluted river stretches were identified across 279 rivers by the Central Pollution Control Board in 2022.

• India uses 60.5% of extractable groundwater; in some states, usage exceeds 100%, posing sustainability threats.

• Despite efforts like the National Water Policy (1987, revised later) and expert committees (2015, 2019), holistic integration like the S2S model remains peripheral.

Detailed Insights:

1. Cryosphere and Ocean Linkage:

• Glaciers and oceans are connected via the hydrological cycle; human interventions such as damming and pollution disrupt this natural link.

• The Source-to-Sea (S2S) model addresses this continuum, promoting integrated freshwater and marine resource management.

2. Water Management Challenges in India:

• Spatial inequality, overexploitation, climate impact, and sectoral fragmentation in water governance.

• Over 85% of drinking water and 60% of irrigation depend on groundwater, much of which is either contaminated or overused.

3. Governance Fragmentation:

• Multiple levels of governancelocal, state, national, globaloperate independently, leading to incoherent water policies.

• Lack of coordination among inter-State river bodies complicates implementation and conflict resolution.

4. S2S as a Potential Solution:

• Recognises rivers, aquifers, lakes, and oceans as interconnected, requiring unified ecological and governance approaches.

• The UNs Manila Declaration (2012) and Stockholm International Water Institute's Action Platform (2014) promote S2S as a scalable and inclusive policy tool.

5. Indias Policy Landscape:

• National Water Policies have evolved but lack integration with global best practices like the S2S framework.

• Pilot projects (e.g., Delhi waterbody nutrient management, Indo-Gangetic basin study) under S2S are promising but limited.

Scientific/Technical Concepts Involved:

• Cryosphere: Refers to the frozen components of the Earth system, including glaciers, snow, and ice caps.

• Source-to-Sea (S2S) Approach: A holistic water management strategy that integrates the entire water continuum from mountain sources to the ocean.

• Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis: A scientific method to identify and analyse problems in shared water systems crossing political boundaries.

Mains Mock Question:

Discuss the merits of adopting a Source-to-Sea (S2S) approach in Indias water governance. How can it help overcome the limitations of current fragmented water management systems?