Gloomy State of Water Management in Odisha
It can be argued that whims rather than institutions govern Odisha's water resources development and management. The party's election manifesto (2014) ruling the state presently promised to add 10.00 lakh hectares (ha.) of land for irrigation coverage in the next five years. This is the only document referred to as a 'perspective plan in the water sector'. But even after a year of being re-elected, a five-year blueprint on water resources has yet to materialize. It is, therefore, compelling to ask whether the water management issue has lost its previous glory as a priority agenda under the present government. It is expected that on March 22, celebrated every year as International Water Day worldwide, the government will announce its vision for water governance in Odisha.
The Oriya proverb 'too much and too little water destroys the creation' is now arguably applicable to Odisha's water resource management sector. As an institution steering the water resource development process in the state, the Department of Water Resource (DoWR), which is directly under the Chief Minister, is fast losing its relevance and credibility. The water sector development process seems stagnant after a moment of 'stall' during last year's election. While the DoWR has evolved from its narrow focus of 'only infrastructure building' to 'water resource governance' since 1996, in practice, the DoWR has been evolving as an agency to facilitate only the industry-based economy of the state.
There is a lack of coordination between constituent organizations within DoWR as well like the Major and Medium wing, Minor (flow), Lift Irrigation Corporation, Command Area Development & Water Management, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R & R) and Land Acquisition unit and Ground Water Survey and Investigation unit. While Odisha is one of the first states in India to approve integrated water resource management (IWRM), there is hardly any correlation between DoWR and other Departments such as Revenue and Disaster Management, Forest and Environment. After all, the DoWR’s accountability for the last five years (2009-14) has remained unquestioned so far as the portfolio comes under Chief Minister.
It may not be wrong to assume that the State Planning Board and Water Resources Board have now become customary bodies existing only on paper. The Irony is that there are a number of action plans for the development of the water sector. However, the mandate and agenda suddenly drift with the change of bureaucratic leadership. The failure to implement the past plans needs to be evaluated by the leadership before it embarks upon other fresh ideas.
The first State Water Policy (SWP) came in 1994 after the National Water Policy (NWP) 1987. Similarly, following the 2002 NWP, the government approved the 2007 SWP. Now, the 2012 NWP has not been able to entice the state government to either accommodate or have a new SWP as per the needs of the State. Consequently, the SWP (2007) is in a state of paralysis. The Perspective Plan for 2009-2014, too, is gathering dust. Similarly, the State Water Plan (2004) has neither been revised nor evaluated for targeted achievements.
Thus, with a non-existent water vision, the additional 10.00 lakh ha irrigation coverage is tentatively accepted as the sole water-related agenda. This will be achieved in the next election in 2019 by expanding 2 lakh ha of Major and Medium irrigation, 0.76 lakh ha of minor (flow) irrigation, 2.41 lakh ha of Mega lift and 0.83 lakh ha of Minor (Lift) irrigation with 4 lakh ha of deep bore well. As of March 2009, out of the total cultivable land of 61.65 lakh ha., 46 %, i.e. 28.345 lakh ha. had been provided with irrigation facilities. At the end of March 2014, the government added up to 54 % of total arable land, i.e. 33.123 lakh ha. with irrigation facilities. It means that during last five years there has been approximately 8 percent increase in irrigated land.
Additionally, to rationalize irrigation development in the state, the government has decided to provide irrigation facilities to at least 35% of the cultivable land in each block under a Master Plan. However, its preliminary scrutiny reveals that irrigation coverage in 198 blocks is less than 35% of the cultivable area. The latest government statistics indicate that several blocks are yet to be covered without proper checks.
There is a tremendous gap between the Irrigation potential created and utilized. Poor irrigation efficiency in the state is due to bad management of the distribution system by both the stakeholders - farmers and the government. The condition of the canals and distribution system throughout the state speaks volumes about poor management. With Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) given the driver’s seat for more than a decade in the name of Pani Panchayat, suddenly, the programme has been driven to oblivion. Benchmarking of projects and volumetric water supply as better irrigation governance tools have never come out of planning sheets. Progress in the ongoing major and medium irrigation projects is not commensurate with the amount spent.
On the other hand, the total storage capacity in the State has also not increased remarkably since 1996-98, when the Upper Indravati project was commissioned. After 17 years, the ongoing projects, at best, may add merely 1.77 BCM (Billion Cubic Meters) of water to the existing storage capacity of 17.00 BCM. To increase the storage and utilisation of its share of water in the case of inter-state rivers, the DoWR must engage proactively with neighbouring states. This will undoubtedly pave the way for the settlement of water disputes and comprehensive development of the water sector in the State. Perhaps the DoWR or Chief Minister has been shying away from face-to-face negotiations with neighbouring states on water disputes. Since 1946, the leaders of Odisha have successfully negotiated outcomes on inter-state water with other neighbouring states by protecting the interests of Odisha and its people. As we move forward, Odisha will face increasing inter-state river disputes. The government must find a long-term approach to deal with Polavaram and Vamsadhara- like skirmishes soon.
The DoWR is putting a large chunk of the budget for new schemes in haste, which include check dams, deep borewell schemes, mega lift schemes, etc. These projects are linked with political dividends rather than the actual development because of uncertainty regarding their sustainability. The need of the hour is a periodic review of the status of irrigation infrastructure, which is already created to put them in the public domain. The updated status of water utilisation statistics for various sectors has yet to be published in the public domain. Revising and updating the Orissa Irrigation Act, 1959 and Rules 1961 may also be considered a priority issue.
Odisha has been facing the daunting challenge of rescuing its population from waterborne diseases. Rapid urbanisation and climate change will make the situation more severe in the coming days. Sustainable water management must not be restricted to papers with external funds or mere sloganeering. It is long overdue that the government unveiled an inclusive, sustainable water management agenda as soon as possible.