Review of National Water Policy    

India has more than 18% of the world’s population but has only 4% of world’s renewable water resources and 2.4% of world’s land area. There are further limits on utilizable quantities of water owing to uneven distribution over time and space. In addition, there are challenges of frequent floods and droughts in one or the other part of the country. With a growing population and rising needs of a fast developing nation as well as the given indications of the impact of climate change, availability of utilizable water will be under further strain in future with the possibility of deepening water conflicts among different user groups.

The objective of the National Water Policy is to take cognizance of the existing situation, to propose a framework for creation of a system of laws and institutions and for a plan of action with a unified national perspective. National Water Policy is formulated by the Ministry of Water Resources of the Government of India. The first National Water Policy was adopted in September, 1987. It was reviewed and updated in 2002 and later in 2012.