Strategies for Improving Allocation of Water Resource - Essay Example

Running Head: Management and design strategies to improve allocation of water resources Name: Lecturer: Course: Date: Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 General statement 4 Background 4 Strategies for allocation of water resources 5 Providing national leadership 6 Improving planning process 7 Provision, demonstration and dissemination of technical tools 9 Policy initiatives 11 Conclusion 12 References 13 Introduction In developing countries such as India, there remains significant inequality in access and use of water resources in addition to disparity in the benefits accruing from the use of such resources (Jain, 2002:177 pp1-2). The rising demand for fresh water in India has followed global trends with many regions in the country currently facing deficits in amount of water resources available. Indeed, the gap between supply of fresh water and demand has become a key concern for the Indian government as it is expected to widen given India’s ever rising population. In any case, spatial variation is currently a major concern in the country (Bhaduri & Barbier, n.d.; 2 pp1-3). For instance, earlier surveys of spatial variation at river basin level indicate that Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna River Basins that covers s third of India’s total land area in India ( See Fig. 1) is home to some 44 percent of the Indian population. The basin however drains an estimated 60 percent of the nation’s water resources. On the other hand, Peninsual River Basins that covers some 16 percent of the country’s total land area contains only 17 percent of the country’s population while it drains a dismal 6 percent of water resources in the country (Amarasinghe et. Al, 2005; 5-7). Because of this, acute water shortages exist in Peninsular India even as some parts of the country experience high water availability. Hence, there is an urgent need to ensure equity despite the fact that several current water users also productively use water. On the contrary, if reallocation of water resources happens rapidly, political and social pressures will impose pressures for water reform that have the potential to destabilise the process (Rosegrant, 1997: 6 pp1-3). This essay argues that allocation of water resources in India should be founded on firm water resource management strategies that are greatly political, social, legal and economic in nature which can be used to improve allocation of water resources in developing countries. General statement Water resource management consists of process of planning, creating, distributing and controlling the optimal use of water resources. In spite of its wide presence in India, there is a great disparity of demand and availability in various regions of the country (Mollinga, 2008: 11 pp1-2). This leads to scarcity and surplus of water in various places hence a need for water resource management. In planning for water resource management in India, several competing demands for water have been put into consideration to ensure water resources equitably meet the country’s current demands and utility (Molle & Mollinga, 2003: 530 pp1). Most strategies directed at water resource management in the country are aimed at optimising water use while at the same time limiting the environmental impact of its use. Effective water management strategies require; accurate knowledge of the water resources available and the utility to which it may be put, the competing demands for water resources, measures to assess the importance of competing water demands and ways to convert decisions into actions (Jain, 2002:177 pp2). Background Developing countries such as India continue to experience dramatic population explosions from 448 million to some 1.04 billion between 1960 and 2000. In 2010, India’s population was around 1.21 billion (Bloom, 2011:2 pp1-2). This translates to billions of litres of water used each day in India alone. Additionally, a typical person consumes food that needs between 2,000 and 5,000 litres of water to produce. This means that producing food for 40 extra individuals over the next four decades will present a great challenge for water resource management (Jain, 2002:177 pp-3). Sustainable management of water resources in India therefore present a range of challenges (Sreenivasan, 2007:1 pp1-4). In general water resources management in such the country includes processes such as; closing the gap between supply and demand of water, treatment of waste water, supplying water that is sufficient for food production, sharing water with other countries that make up the co-basin states and utility between competing demands (Jain, 2002:177pp2). This calls for a need to ensure equitable access and beneficial use of water in India. The thesis of this essay is based on the premise that allocation of water resources should be founded on firm water resource management strategies that are greatly political, social, legal and economic in nature which can be used to improve allocation of water resources in developing countries. Strategies for allocation of water resources There is a general perception that the current water allocation system India does not necessitate optimal and sustainable use of water. In this case, effective strategies could optimise the value of water resources. Indeed, concerns revolve around macro- and micro-allocation. Macro-allocation is based on water quantities that should be extracted from natural water sources while micro-allocation is concerned with the decisions on whom and how much water should be used (Sun, Speed & Shen, 2013; 23 pp.6) The key issues relating to the various ways of management and design strategies to improve allocation of water resources can be categorised into macro-allocation, consideration to economic efficiency and planning processes. To address these issues, this essay argues that four broad strategies should be implemented. These include; improved planning process, providing national leadership, using policy initiatives and demonstrating and distributing technical tools. Providing national leadership can ensure effective implementation of management and design strategies to improve allocation of water resources (Sun, Speed & Shen, 2013: 23 pp.1-6). Providing national leadership Efficient water resources allocation in India relies on significant changes and major upgrading of capabilities of institutions in water-related departments at Indian state levels. Based on the country’s federal structure, the state is the key planning and administrative unit. In which case, it is at the state level where policy changes will ensure significant impact on maximal utilisation of water resources (World Bank Publications, 1999, 117 pp1-4). The Indian government should therefore provide a national direction on macro-allocation decisions. These may include the ability to set priorities, make trade-offs and utilise regional portfolio approach to management of water resources (Kumar, Singh & Sharma, 2005: 811 pp2). Others include standards for in stream values essential for protecting national interest on water resources. Macro-allocation decisions could also involve the government setting direction on the level at which certain benefits of using water resources can be taken into account (Gleick, 1998:573 pp1-3). Additional strategies include granting resource consent for using less water to increase economic benefits accrued from water resources and ensuring equity between current and potential interests in water use. Towards this end, the India government could initiate legislative or policy change where necessary as well as establish a mechanism for provision of national direction on water resource management implementation (Gleick, 1998:572 pp1-3; Ferdin, Gortliz & Schworer, 2010; 28-30). In attempts to provide national leadership in water allocation have been made By the World Bank and Indian government in Orissa and Tamil Nadu in India. This has majorly involved various legislative and policy changes to ensure equitable allocation of water resources. In Orissa and Tamil Nadu in India, World Bank-assisted programs such as Water Resources Consolidation Projects (WRCPs) that have been in effect since 1994 in addition to the upgrading of inter-state capacity in various regions have (World Bank Publications, 1999, 117 pp1-4) The key benefit of these strategies is that they ensure that water can equitably meet all demands and uses. They also optimise the value of water resources. However, water resource planning may face a range of challenges that may inhibit its effective implementation. For instance, a range of problems with the planning process include; larger areas and differences in water resource endowments. Planning may also be inhibited by political influences that demand some areas to benefit more from water resources compared to others. Overall, providing national leadership to the allocation of water resources can provide precedence to equitable access and beneficial use of water in the public interest (Sun, Speed & Shen, 2013; 23 pp1-6). Improving planning process The Indian government could as well improve the planning process for water allocation in several more regions. At this stage, the governments could promote best practices in ways in which counties or districts allocate water through ensuring consistent interpretation of the national water resource management goals and objectives. Other approaches could include effective monitoring objectives laid-out in water resources management and most importantly, effective adoption of strategic approach to management of water resources. To this end, various strategies could be implemented to ensure equitable water resource allocation. First, the Indian government should establish a national position on best practices for planning water allocation. This would be adopted by other Indian states. Next, it should demonstrate good practice using projects that relate to setting the allocation boundaries. The government could also monitor all water planning processes as well as provide advice on the right approaches (Sun, Speed & Shen, 2013: 23 pp.1-6). In respect to these, there is a need for the Indian government to establish a national position on what should be regarded as “best practice” in water resources allocation, specifically with regard to the planning processes. It is crucial that specific water allocation planning processes through government agencies, councils, particular projects or other channels should be consistent. It is also crucial that particular needs of water allocation planning should be taken into consideration and expertise acquired in water resource management is integrated into the practice of water allocation. The strategies have been successful in some Indian regions, where the India government sought to emphasise good planning and allocation of water as the way to go. For instance, the Maharashtra government in India has placed emphasis on establishing a regulatory authority for water and has since taken energy sector reforms. For instance, Maharashtra Water Resources Regulation Authority framework (MWRRA framework) has since been undertaken by various Indian states. The focus of MWRRA framework has been on creating individual water resources entitlements or rights, while their primary role has lay on rearranging inter-sectoral allocations of water, specifically in relation to the increased urban sector and industrial sector demands within the context of neo-liberalisation (Mollinga & Tucker 2010, 2 pp1). These strategies ensure that water is able to equitably to meet all demands and uses. They also optimise the value of water resources. A major challenge however is that Indian government agencies may be constrained by their particular permitting authorities and hence they will be inclined to view narrowly the real impact of the project instead of having a more national perspective that views the entire spectrum of environmental benefits and impacts. In any case, India could benefit from an accelerated system intended to address water supply conflicts using national permitting agencies. In all, improving the planning process used in various areas or regions for water allocation has the potential to ensure equitable access and beneficial use of water resources. Provision, demonstration and dissemination of technical tools The Indian government should also place emphasis on assisting local governments or councils to address certain technical or scientific intricacies related to decisions of water allocation. Various options are available at this stage. For instance, the government should ensure that the relevant technical tools needed for water resources allocation are provided. the government should conduct gaps analysis on what tools are needed for specific local governments and subsequently promote the use of technical tools to promote the understanding of ground water capacity, the variability of flow of surface water, description of the nature and cultural values, set the abstraction restrictions for aquifers, provide criteria for reliability and lastly establish the social effects of allocating water resources (Jiaqi, & June, 1999:512 pp2). Among the tools include Integrated Water Resources Optimization Models (IWROM), which can be used to allocate water optimally among different sectors. They comprise engineering optimization approaches that have recently been effectively used to tackle a range of water resources allocations. More specifically, they determine optimal water allocation strategies in situations where there exists competition for water between various sectors that use water. They have also attempted to introduce political, social and ecological issues into water resource management (Mayer & Muñoz-Hernandez, 2009:1190 pp1-3; Lant, 2005:1 pp2). IWROMs have been effectively used in several rural parts of Andhra Pradesh to ensure sufficient groundwater water is allocated for human consumption and irrigation, resulting to reduced poverty in addition to overexploitation of acquifers that have less water available for village consumption. The tool has further reduced contamination of groundwater in Andhra Pradesh, where fluoride is a major water contaminant (Moriarty & Butterworth 2004, 4). The tool has also assisted in fulfilling water requirements in Karnataka, an area representing significant percentage of water recharge, hence ensuring water is allocated to drought-prone areas. This is in addition to the government’s strategy to promote water harvesting in the area, by capturing water runoff and assisting in recharging aquifers (Moriarty & Butterworth, 2004, 12; Ferdin, Gortliz & Schworer, 2010; 28-30). The strategy has a range of benefits. For instance, it ensures that water is able to meet all human wants sustainability as well as sustainable use of water in wide societal context (Savenije & van der Zaag, 2002:98 pp1-3). The key challenge is that innovative tools require technical skills. This means that additional training expenses have to be incurred. Additionally, there is the threat of the tools becoming obsolete (Jiaqi & June, 1999:510 pp.2). In all, placing emphasis using technological tools to allocate water resources can assist local governments or councils to address certain technical or scientific intricacies related to decisions of water allocation. Policy initiatives The Indian government can also provide long-term strategic policy advice to guide on water resource management practices at local and national levels. Among the recommended strategies include identifying the barriers to effective water harvesting schemes and identifying alternative approaches to rental of water resources (Jiaqi & June, 1999:512 pp2). Effective water harvesting has the potential to remove direct conflicts from decisions of macro-allocation through provision of increased abstraction with reduced pressure on interim values during events of low flow. Consequently, the water harvesting initiatives have raised a range of micro-allocation issues in addition to allowing the issue of water allocation to be handled through community or private arrangements. Through such initiatives, there have been issues relating to equity. This is because of the options of water access to only those individuals who are willing to pay. Water harvesting has also raised concerns of water pricing as a mechanism for cost recovery (Savenije & van der Zaag, 2002:100 pp7-10). Key benefits of policy initiatives such as the National Water Policy that the Indian government implemented in 1987 include ensuring that water is used equitably to meet all demands and uses (Kathpalia & Kapoor, 2002; 12-19). In addition, they have the potential optimise the value of water resources. Water harvesting and water rentals can achieve financial stability. However, if water is freely accessed through water harvesting, water providers may fail to receive payment for water services, hence the provider may not be able to maintain the system to meet future water needs. Hence, water services quality may deteriorate (Savenije & van der Zaag, 2002:98-3). Overall, policy initiatives encouraging water harvesting and renting of water resources could also effectively ensure equitable access to water resources (Sun, Speed & Shen, 2013). Conclusion This essay concludes that allocation of water resources in India should be founded on firm water resource management strategies that are greatly political, social, legal and economic in nature which can be used to improve allocation of water resources in developing countries. In this respect, the key issues relating to the various ways of management and design strategies to improve allocation of water resources can be categorised into macro-allocation, consideration to economic efficiency and planning processes. To address these issues, four broad strategies should be implemented. This includes improved planning process, providing national leadership, using policy initiatives and providing, demonstrating and distributing technical tools. Providing national leadership can ensure effective implementation of management and design strategies to improve allocation of water resources. Here, the Indian government should aim to provide clarity in the use of water resources. 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