Aimed at effective management of water resources, including addressing the issues related to inter-state water-sharing disputes and sharing of river-basin water, the Centre has decided to set up a panel to draft the new National Water Framework Bill (NWFB).
The new panel, which is expected to be finalised by the Union Ministry of Water Resources soon, will relook into the existing draft report of the NWFB and further strengthen it.
The NWFB will be a model law and all the states have to adopt similar law once it gets Parliament’s nod, Union Water Resources Secretary Shashi Shekhar told Deccan Herald.
As water is a state subject, the Centre is consulting various stakeholders to get consensus on bringing the model law, he added.
The NWFB will deal with various water-related issues, including the role of the Centre in dispute resolution, transfer of water from one river basin to another, planning development and management of water resources, steps to mitigate disasters like floods and droughts, empowering local governing bodies like panchayats and municipalities on effective management of water resources.
At present, water is primarily being managed by the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution Act), 1974, and the Environment Protection Act, 1986, which mainly deal with pollution aspect of water resources.
The proposed law, the official said, will have a holistic approach and clarity on the right to water clause.
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