Water

ADB conducted a series of consultations to secure feedback from multiple stakeholders in conjunction with the comprehensive review of its water policy implementation. This report is the outcome of the India consultation.

• Objectives
• Process
• Participants' Observations on Key Issues
• Participants
• Full Report

• The revised National Water Policy adopted in 2002 prioritizes water for domestic requirements, which should improve coverage and reliability of drinking and household water supply and sanitation.
• The revised National Water Policy has increased public awareness of rights and responsibilities in the water sector and highlighted the need for institutional reform to improve multi-stakeholder cooperation.
• Participatory approaches in water resource management and service delivery have increased. However, capacity to participate must be further developed, and the quality of participatory practices must be improved.

• Efforts have been made to advance a river basin approach to IWRM in India, including private sector and NGO small-scale initiatives to establish river basin organizations (RBOs) and international networks, and research to inform policy and planning.
• Modest progress has been made to acknowledge social and environmental concerns in water resources projects.

Coverage: Access, Affordability, Water Quality

• Increased support from state government and international subsidies has provided for more state level projects and minor irrigation systems.
• Increased government investment and new and rehabilitated infrastructure built through ADB and World Bank-assisted projects have helped to expand coverage of water supply and sanitation services in both urban and rural areas.
• Cross-subsidization and differential tariffs have helped to keep water supply services affordable at current rates.
• Public awareness campaigns, technical studies, recent projects, and state level policies have helped to raise the visibility of water quality issues.

Efficiency and Sustainability

• Public awareness programs on tariff reforms and O&M have helped to increase efficiencies and promote sustainability of irrigation services.
• Initiatives have been undertaken to decentralize management and institutionalize user participation in water service delivery.
• Private sector participation (PSP) has been piloted in ADB and World Bank projects to improve the efficiency of water service delivery systems.
• Provisions to protect and effectively manage watershed areas have been incorporated into water supply projects to promote sustainability.