Per capita availability of water in the country has declined to one-third in the past 65 years, the Water Resources Minister, Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday. Enough water was still available if the scarce natural resource was used judiciously, he said during Question Hour.
“A national water policy is on the anvil. I will announce that soon.”
Mr Bansal said he felt Rajasthan was not getting its share of Yamuna water. Water being a State subject, the role of the Centre is of a facilitator in inter-State water disputes, he said urging State Governments to quickly arrive at mutually agreeable solutions.
The Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) has identified the possible reasons as losses in the carrier system and unauthorised lifting of water by farmers in Haryana.