Lesson water

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) 
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana has been launched by the Central Government during 2015-16 with an overarching vision to ensure access to some means of protective irrigation for all agricultural farms in the country, thus bringing much desired rural prosperity. 
Some of the broad objectives of the this programmes are to: 
• Enhance the physical access of water on the farm and expand cultivable area under assured irrigation (Har khet ko pani) 
• Promote integration of water source, distribution and its efficient use, to make best use of water through appropriate technologies and practices.
• Improve on-farm water use efficiency to reduce wastage and increase availability both in duration and exent; irrigation and other water saving technologies (Per drope more crop) • Introduce sustainable water conservation practices 
• Ensure the integrated development of rain-fed areas using the waters held approach towards soil and water conservation, regeration of ground water, providing livelihood options, etc.

Watershed management 

Watershed management basically refers to efficient management and conservation of surface and groundwater resources.

 It involves prevention of runoff and storage and recharge of groundwater through various methods like percolation tanks, recharge wells, etc. 
However, in broad sense watershed management includes conservation, regeneration and judicious use of all resources – natural (like land, water, plants and animals) and human with in a watershed.
 Watershed management aims at bringing about balance between natural resources on the one hand and society on the other. 

The success of watershed development largely depends upon community participation.

The Central and State Governments have initiated many watershed development and management programmes in the country. 

Some of these are being implemented by nongovernmental organisations also. 

Haryali Haryali Haryali is a watershed development project sponsored by the Central Government which aims at enabling the rural population to conserve water for drinking, irrigation, fisheries and afforestation. The Project is being executed by Gram Panchayats with people’s participation.
 Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal) is being implemented in 8220 water stressed Gram Panchayats of 229 administrative blocks/ talukas in 80 districts of seven states,viz. Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The selected States account for about 37 per cent of the total number of water-stressed (over-exploited, critical and semi-critical) blocks in India. One of the key aspects of ATAL JAL is to bring in behavioural changes in the community, from the prevailing attitude of consumption to conservation and smart water management. 

Neeru-Meeru (Water and You) programme (in Andhra Pradesh) and Arvary Pani Sansad (in Alwar, Rajasthan) have taken up constructions of various water-harvesting structures such as percolation tanks, dug out ponds (Johad), check dams, etc., through people’s participation.

Tamil Nadu has made water harvesting structures in the houses compulsory. No building can be constructed without making structures for water harvesting. Watershed development projects in some areas have been successful in rejuvenating environment and economy. 

However, there are only a few success stories. In majority of cases, the programme is still in its nascent stage. There is a need to generate awareness regarding benefits of watershed development and management among people in the country, and through this integrated water resource management approach water availability can be ensured on sustainable basis.
Rainwater harvesting is a method to capture and store rainwater for various uses. 

It is also used to recharge groundwater aquifers. It is a low cost and eco-friendly technique for preserving every drop of water by guiding the rain water to borewell, pits and wells.

Rainwater harvesting

Rainwater harvesting increases water availability, checks the declining groundwater table, 

improves the quality of groundwater through dilution of contaminants, like fluoride and nitrates, prevents soil erosion, and flooding and arrests salt water intrusion in coastal areas if used to recharge aquifers.
Rainwater harvesting has been practised through various methods by different communities in the country for a long time. 
Traditional rainwater harvesting in rural areas is done by using surface storage bodies, like lakes, ponds, irrigation tanks, etc. 
In Rajasthan, rainwater harvesting structures locally known as Kund or Tanka (a covered underground tank) are constructed near or in the house or village to store harvested rainwater 
There is a wide scope to use rainwater harvesting technique to conserve precious water resource. 
It can be done by harvesting rainwater on rooftops and open spaces. 
Harvesting rainwater also decreases the community dependence on groundwater for domestic use. 
Besides bridging the demand supply gap, it can also save energy to pump groundwater as recharge leads to rise in groundwater table. 
These days rainwater harvesting is being taken up on massive scale in many states in the country. 
Urban areas can specially benefit from rainwater harvesting as water demand has already outstripped supply in most of the cities and towns. 
Apart from the above mentioned factors, the issue desalinisation of water particularly in coastal areas and brackish water in arid and semi-arid areas,
transfer of water from water surplus areas to water deficit areas through inter-linking of rivers can be important remedies for solving water problem in India. 
However, the most important issue from the point of view of individual users, household and communities is pricing of water.

The objective of the National Water Policy, 2012 is to assess the existing situation and to propose a framework for a plan of action with a unified national perspective. 

In order to achieve the objective of the Policy, a number of recommendations have been made therein for conservation, development and improved management of water resources of the country. 

Some of the salient features of national water policy 2012 are:

• Emphasis on the need for a national water framework law, comprehensive legislation for optimum development of inter-State rivers and river valleys. 

• Water, after meeting the pre-emptive needs for safe drinking water and sanitation, achieving food security, supporting poor people dependent on agriculture for their livelihood and high priority allocation for minimum eco-system needs, be treated as economic good so as to promote its conservation and efficient use. • Adaptation strategies in view of climate change for designing and management of water resources structures and review of acceptability criteria has been emphasized. 

• A system to evolve benchmarks for water uses for different purposes, i.e., water footprints, and water auditing be developed to ensure efficient use of water. 

• Removal of large disparity in stipulations for water supply in urban areas and in rural areas has been recommended. • Water resources projects and services should be managed with communi