Background
The Ministry of Jal Shakti was created in May 2019 by merging:
- Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation
- Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation
The merger was aimed at ensuring integrated water governance across drinking water, irrigation, river rejuvenation, and sanitation. To ensure holistic, sustainable, and integrated management of water resources for drinking water security, irrigation efficiency, river rejuvenation, sanitation, and climate resilience.
Broad Mandate
- Drinking water supply (rural & urban coordination)
- River basin management and rejuvenation
- Irrigation and water-use efficiency
- Sanitation and hygiene (rural focus)
- Groundwater regulation and conservation
- Climate-adaptive water governance
Key Departments
- Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation (DDWS)
- Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR)
Major Schemes & Missions
- Jal Jeevan Mission (Har Ghar Jal) – Rural tap water supply
- Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) – Rural sanitation and ODF sustainability
- Atal Bhujal Yojana – Groundwater management through community participation
- Namami Gange Programme – Ganga rejuvenation and pollution abatement
- National Hydrology Project – Data-driven water resource management
- Flood Management & Border Areas Programme (FMBAP)
Institutional & Technical Bodies
- Central Water Commission (CWC) – Surface water, floods, dams
- Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) – Groundwater assessment & regulation
- National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) – Ganga basin authority
- National Water Informatics Centre (NWIC) – Water data integration
Key Policy Instruments
- National Water Policy (2012)
- Jal Shakti Abhiyan (Catch the Rain)
- Aquifer Mapping Programme (NAQUIM)
- River Basin Management Approach
Focus Areas
- Water Security: Drinking water + irrigation convergence
- Source Sustainability: Recharge, rainwater harvesting, watershed management
- Demand Management: Micro-irrigation, efficient use
- Water Quality: Arsenic, fluoride, salinity mitigation
- Climate Resilience: Flood–drought management, adaptive planning
Technology & Governance Tools
- IMIS & Dashboards for scheme monitoring
- Remote sensing & GIS for basin planning
- IoT & sensor-based monitoring (water supply & quality)
- Geo-tagging of assets
- PFMS for financial transparency
Role in Cooperative Federalism
- Centrally Sponsored Schemes with State-specific flexibility
- Performance-linked funding and outcome monitoring
- Capacity building of PRIs and urban local bodies
Key Challenges
- Fragmented water data across States
- Groundwater over-extraction
- Urban–rural water allocation conflicts
- Pollution control vs river rejuvenation trade-offs
- Long-term sustainability beyond scheme timelines
Way Forward
- Shift from scheme-based to basin-based governance
- Strengthen groundwater regulation and pricing signals
- Enhance community ownership and water literacy
- Integrate water planning with climate action strategies
