Water is becoming a major point of contention in several Indian states. In the south agricultural and commercial crop production is suffering on account of acute water shortage. The storage levels in most of India’s reservoirs have also been running well below the average for the last decade, despite the plentiful rainfall in 2003. Little wonder then that it has emerged as a major election issue in drought-affected states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Both the NDA and the Congress have presented programmes for resolving the water problem. While the Congress manifesto promises to develop India’s irrigation potential, as well as augment availability of water in rural and urban areas, the NDA’s programme outlines its strategy in a fairly comprehensive manner. So much so that the popular film star, Rajnikanth, recently announced he would support the NDA only because he was confident that it would tackle the water problems facing the country, particularly Tamil Nadu.In addition to its commitment to the controversial national river-linking scheme, the NDA has promised to complete all ongoing irrigation projects within five years of returning to power — as against the Congress’s 20-year programme for the same — besides avowing to launch a National Drinking Water Programme within 30 days of forming the government. Moreover, it promises to launch a multi-pronged programme, in rural and urban areas, that will create more public awareness on water conservation. Its manifesto also states that it would initiate new projects such as setting up desalination plants in coastal areas, rainwater harvesting schemes and cleaning up rivers and traditional water bodies to ensure availability of quality water to all.Yet, even after five years of NDA rule, the vast majority of the people still look to the rain gods to deliver them from drought. The nation’s 8 per cent GDP growth last fiscal has been attributed to a good monsoon as well. One can’t but help wonder what will happen if the monsoons failed to deliver normal rains this year. Rather than make poll promises that could be difficult to implement, it makes more sense to put in place a water management policy at the national and state level, including rational tariffs — which recover costs — that would enable more efficient utilisation of this precious resource.
