Chapter 2 - Kerala Govt Logo

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Chapter 2Policy, Legislation and Regulation2.2.1.2. National Water Policy 2002The earlier National Water Policy was adopted in September 1987 and a revised policy hasbeen adopted by the National Water Resources Council in April 2002. Recognizing water as aprecious national asset, the National Water Policy embodies the Nation‟s resolve that planningand development of water resources should be governed by the national perspective. Thepolicy recognizes drainage basin as the basic unit of planning for development of waterresources and calls for appropriate measures to optimize utilization of this resource not onlyfor the benefit of the people living in the basin, but also for transfer of surplus water to meetthe requirements of areas which have shortage of water. The principal elements of the policyare:-Water is a precious national resource and its development should be governed by thenational perspectives;The available resources, both surface and ground water, should be made utilizable to themaximum extent;Planning for water resources to be on the basis of the hydrological unit such as a drainagebasin or sub-basin. Appropriate organizations should be established for the planneddevelopment and management of the river basins as a whole;Water should be made available to areas where there is a shortage by transfer from otherareas including transfers from one river basin to another, after taking into account therequirements of the basins ;Project planning for development of water resources should, as far as possible, be formultiple benefits based on an integrated and multidisciplinary approach having regard tohuman and ecological aspects and special needs of disadvantaged sections of the society;In the allocation of water, ordinarily first priority should be for drinking water, withirrigation, hydro-power, industrial and other uses following in that orderThe ground water potential should be periodically reassessed and its exploitation regulatedwith reference to recharge possibilities and consideration of social equity;Due care should be taken right from the project planning stage to promote conjunctive useof surface and groundwater;Maintenance, modernization and safety of structures should be ensured through properorganizational arrangements;There should be close integration of water use and land use policies and distribution ofwater should be with due regard to equity and social justice;Efficiency of utilization should be improved in all the diverse uses of water andconservation consciousness promoted through education, regulation, incentives anddisincentives;Water rates should be such as to foster the motivation for economy in water use and shouldadequately cover the annual maintenance and operational charges and a part of the fixedcost;Farmers should be progressively involved in the management of irrigation system;There should be a Master Plan for flood control and management for each flood pronebasin. In flood control and management, the strategy should be to reduce the intensity offloods by sound watershed management and provision of adequate flood cushion in water
Environmental Assessment ReportKerala Local Government Strengthening Projectstorage projects wherever feasible to facilitate better flood management of each floodprone basin;Land erosion by sea or river should be minimized by suitable cost effective measures.Indiscriminate occupation of, and economic activity in coastal areas and flood plain zonesshould be regulated;Needs of drought-prone areas should be given priority in the planning of projects fordevelopment of water resources. These areas should be made less vulnerable through soilmoistureconservation measures, water harvesting practices, the minimization ofevaporation losses, the development of ground water potential and transfer of surfacewater from surplus areas where feasible andappropriate. Pastures, forestry or other modes ofdevelopment which are relatively less waterdemanding should be encouraged;A national information system on water resourcesshould be established with a net-work of databanks and data bases integrating and strengtheningthe existing Central and State level agencies;Since Kerala has brought out its ownWater Policy which brought out statespecific priority and action areas inconsonance with the regional naturalresource scenario, the National policymay not be of direct relevance to theESMFTraining and research efforts should be intensified as an integral part of water resourcesdevelopment programmes.The policy highlights overall water resource scenario in the country and suggests theimportance of inter-basin transfer as a mode to achieve broad based equitable water resourcedistribution. It provides an overall guidance as to how water resource management can beachieved though may not be universally adoptable considering the socio-environmentalvariations across the country.2.2.1.3. National Health Policy 2002The main objective of this policy is to achieve an acceptable standard of good health amongstthe general population of the country. The approach would be to increase access to thedecentralized public health system by establishing new infrastructure in deficient areas, andby upgrading the infrastructure in the existing institutions. Overriding importance would begiven to ensuring a more equitable access to health services across the social and geographicalexpanse of the country. Emphasis will be given to increasing the aggregate public healthinvestment through a substantially increased contribution by the Central Government. It isexpected that this initiative will strengthen the capacity of the public health administration atthe State level to render effective service delivery. The contribution of the private sector inproviding health services would be much enhanced, particularly for the population group whichcan afford to pay for services. Primacy will be given to preventive and first-line curativeinitiatives at the primary health level through increased sectoral share of allocation. Emphasiswill be laid on rational use of drugs within the allopathic system. Increased access to tried andtested systems of traditional medicine will be ensured.This Policy broadly envisages a greater contribution from the Central Budget for the delivery ofPublic Health services at the State level. The Policy highlights the expected roles of differentparticipating groups in the health sector. Further, it recognizes the fact that, despite all that24
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Chapter 2 - Kerala Govt Logo

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