Climatic changes in the form of variations in rainfall patterns - decline in precipitation, untimely patterns of floods and droughts, sudden rise in temperatures have been experienced by communities across India in recent years. This has impacted the daily lives and livelihoods of the common people, particularly the marginal people. Therefore, considering the importance of impact of climate change impact on water resources, the Government of India established National Water Mission (NWM) under National Action plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) with the objective of "conservation, minimizing of wastage and ensuring its equitable distribution both across and within States through integrated water resources development and management”.
The Government of India constituted an Indian National Committee on Climate Change (INCCC) to coordinate the research activities in the field of climate change and its effects on water resources. INCCC is chaired by the Additional Secretary & Mission Director, National Water Mission. The research and development projects are executed by the reputed technical institutes/ organizations of the Central Government and State Governments. National Water Mission also provides technical inputs under the water component on India’s Biennial Update Report (BUR) which is shared to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) regularly. BUR is a report which represents India’s action plan on climate action to achieve its “2o C compatible temperature” Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target submitted as part of the Paris Agreement. There are two types of projects funded by R&D Wing of D/o Water Resources, RD & GR and National Water Mission, Ministry of Jal Shakti which are listed below: