Accepting the key recommendations of the Planning Commission to bring all departments, which deal with water resources in the hill state, under a single administrative umbrella, the Uttarakhand government has decided to merge its two departments – Payjal Nigam and Jal Sansthan.
“The process of integration requires the approval of the state cabinet. This we will do shortly in the next cabinet meeting,” said Prakash Pant, planning and drinking water minister.
Pant said the state government is also working on a plan to bring about a separate water policy of the hill state.
There are six departments in Uttarakhand at present dealing with water resources but working under different administrative control in the government. Due to this reason, the water resource planning for different purposes falls mostly into the abyss of dispute causing bottlenecks in the pace of development, said the Uttarakhand Development Report of the Planning Commission.
To establish synchronisation, all the water resource agencies irrigation department, minor irrigation department, watershed management directorate, Jal Vidyut Nigam, Peyjal Nigam and Jal Sansathan should be brought under single administrative umbrella of a water resource ministry, the report emphasised.
“I have gone through this report. Some of the recommendations on the water resources are very significant and we are serious on the integration of at least two departments – Jal Sansthan and Payjal Nigam,” Pant said. He said the integration of other departments is not feasible at present.
Pant said the draft of the water policy had already been prepared. “We are just trying to modify the recommendations in order to give the policy a better shape.”
Uttarakhand currently faces huge water scarcity mainly due to unsystematic distribution of water as well as poor management of water resources. The Planning Commission report also asked the government to prepare a comprehensive source study on the availability of water in the state.
BS
“The process of integration requires the approval of the state cabinet. This we will do shortly in the next cabinet meeting,” said Prakash Pant, planning and drinking water minister.
Pant said the state government is also working on a plan to bring about a separate water policy of the hill state.
There are six departments in Uttarakhand at present dealing with water resources but working under different administrative control in the government. Due to this reason, the water resource planning for different purposes falls mostly into the abyss of dispute causing bottlenecks in the pace of development, said the Uttarakhand Development Report of the Planning Commission.
To establish synchronisation, all the water resource agencies irrigation department, minor irrigation department, watershed management directorate, Jal Vidyut Nigam, Peyjal Nigam and Jal Sansathan should be brought under single administrative umbrella of a water resource ministry, the report emphasised.
“I have gone through this report. Some of the recommendations on the water resources are very significant and we are serious on the integration of at least two departments – Jal Sansthan and Payjal Nigam,” Pant said. He said the integration of other departments is not feasible at present.
Pant said the draft of the water policy had already been prepared. “We are just trying to modify the recommendations in order to give the policy a better shape.”
Uttarakhand currently faces huge water scarcity mainly due to unsystematic distribution of water as well as poor management of water resources. The Planning Commission report also asked the government to prepare a comprehensive source study on the availability of water in the state.
BS
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