Water

India - Water overview

Country profile

• According to the NITI Aayog’s report Composite Water Resources Management: Performance of States, by 2030, the country’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply, implying an eventual ~6% loss in the country’s GDP.
• India’s publicly available water related data is listed on the Indian Water Resources Information System (I-WRIS), including water resource projects, groundwater, rainfall, etc.
• The World Resources Institute’s 2019 National Water Stress Rankings ranked India at the 13th position, denoting “extremely high water stress”.

Policies and Initiatives

• The National Water Policy (2012) aims to take cognisance of the existing situation and provides a framework for the creation of a system of laws and institutions and for a plan of action with a unified national perspective. It is currently being revised by a drafting committee.
• A host of legislations are in varying degrees of progress- Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2019, National Water Framework Bill, 2016, River Basin Management Bill, 2018, and Dam Safety Bill, 2019.
• The Atal Bhujal Yojana launched in 2019 is a groundwater management scheme rolled out in water-stressed areas to establish community participation.
• The Jal Jeevan Mission, 2019 aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India, in a sustainable manner.

Governance structure

Water governance in India falls under the states’ powers within the Indian Constitution. However, the Union Government has authority over interstate river waters, it funds Centrally Sponsored Schemes, and gives overall policy direction. The Ministry of Jal Shakti is the central government ministry responsible and is aided by the technical bodies Central Water Commission, Central Ground Water Board, and Central Ground Water Authority. The National Water Mission, a part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change launched in 2008, is the overarching body that coordinates, gives policy direction, and monitors water resource management projects.

Australia - Water overview

Country profile

• The Australian Government’s Bureau of Meteorology provides an annual overview of Australia’s Water Resources known as Water in Australia, with detailed information for eleven nationally significant water management regions provided in the National Water Account.
• The World Resources Institute’s 2019 National Water Stress Rankings ranked Australia at the 50th position, denoting it as “medium-high”.

Policies and initiatives

• The National Water Initiative, agreed to in 2004, is a shared commitment by governments to increase the efficiency of Australia's water use, leading to greater certainty for investment and productivity, for rural and urban communities and for the environment. It serves as the national blueprint for water reform.
• The draft National Water Reform 2020 report assesses the progress made of Australian, State and Territory governments towards achieving the objectives and outcomes of the National Water Initiative (NWI), and provides practical advice on future directions for national water reform
• The Water Act, 2007, provides the legislative framework for ensuring that Australia’s largest water resource, the Murray-Darling Basin, is managed in the national interest.
• The Commonwealth Environmental Water Office (CEWO) delivers water for the environment when and where it is needed most, including to help rivers flow, keep native plants healthy, and support feeding and breeding of native animals, birds, fish and frogs.
• All Options on the table for urban water supply. This report aims to inform water security discussions with the community and stakeholders and to increase understanding around the attributes and costs of different water supply options.
• The Water Efficiency Labeling and Standards Scheme (WELS) provides a label which is designed to help consumers make informed choices about the water efficiency of products bought.
• The National Water Grid will be a series of region-specific water storage and distribution solutions that will secure predictable supplies of water now and into the future.

Governance structure

Water governance primarily comes under the States’ jurisdiction under the Australian Constitution. However, through collective decision-making by the Council of Australian Governments, a system of mutually binding obligations have made Australia’s Basins an effectively collectively governed subject. The most important case is that of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and its corresponding Water Management Partnership Agreements. Australia effectively uses a system of Water Markets for resource allocation, and is constructing an ambitious National Water Grid to further augment its water resources.

Bilateral frameworks for cooperation between India and Australia

• An MoU to reinforce bilateral cooperation between Australia and India on urban water security was signed in December, 2021. 
• The Indo-Australian Water Science and Technology Partnership, signed in 2012, and the MoU between India and Australia facilitating collaboration in capacity building, research and development, and making an impact for sustainable groundwater management, was signed in 2020.
• The Australian Water Partnership (AWP) has an AWP India Investment Strategy 2018-23 catering to the strong demand from Indian water agencies for Australian expertise, Australian Government priorities, and opportunity for impact.
• Individual States in Australia and India also have water-based cooperation:
  • The New South Wales – India International Engagement Strategy, released in 2018, identifies water as a subject of convergence and includes water basin management and water security with Maharashtra and Gujarat, respectively.
  • The Government of Victoria’s Victoria’s India Strategy: Our Shared Future, launched in 2018, has a focus on water management, with interests in the States of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.

Trade and investment opportunity

• The Confederation of Indian Industry’s CII-Triveni Water Institute (CII-TWI) is a unique institution where government, industry, and civil society have partnered to address water-related issues in a holistic manner.
• The India Water Works Association is a voluntary body of professionals concerned and connected with water supply for municipal, industrial, agricultural uses and treatment and disposal of wastewater, focusing on all aspects of the water cycle.
• The Australian Water Association is Australia’s biggest water network and includes members from every facet of the water sector including professionals and practitioners working in utilities, engineering, urban design and planning, science, and research.
• The Water Industry Alliance (WIA) is a globally recognised hub of water expertise and research based in South Australia.
• The India Economic Strategy to 2035 lists groundwater conservation as one of Australia’s competitive advantages, and advocates for Australia to become a trusted partner in land and water management priorities. The strategy also identifies water scarcity and climate change-related challenges. The updated five-year action plan states the India-Australia Innovation and Technology Challenge will tackle complex environmental issues, including water security, by supporting small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs to launch technology solutions.

Cooperation and collaborations

• The South Asia Water Security Initiative (SAWASI) is a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Government of Australia grant for city-level water governance and undertakes investments that provide urban water services support to disadvantaged communities beginning in 2021.
• The Australia India Water Centre (AIWC), formed in 2020, brings together research institutions and water businesses to promote cooperation and collaboration in water research, education, training, and capacity building. In 2022, the AIWC partnered with the Australia India Institute to deliver a series of of four workshops for the Australia India Technical Exchange Program in Water and Food Security to exchange knowledge and experiences in water resources management. 
• To better understand the Australia-India water cooperation landscape, this CSIRO report reflects on water research investments inIndia since the commencement of the first Memorandum of Understanding on Water signed in 2009
• India’s Centre for Science and Environment in partnership with Australia’s Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities (CRCWSC) and Alluvium held a two-part Webinar Series on 'Towards Water Sensitive Cities - Experience of Approach and Practices in Australia and India' in October 2020.
• The Rotary Club of West Pennant Hills & Cherrybrook is providing basic water and sewerage facilities to five (5) villages in the Rayagada (Raigad) District in Maharashtra.
• Australia’s Rubicon Water won the tender to modernise the Narayanpur Left Bank Canal (NLBC) system in the Indian state of Karnataka in 2019, providing key irrigation technology to the State’s farmers.
• Andhra Pradesh - Australia Water Sensitive Cities Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under the Australian Water Partnership (AWP) led to Australian technical knowledge on water-sensitive practices being incorporated in the designs of the cities of Vijayawada and Amravati.
• The first edition of the India Young Water Professional Program was launched virtually in 2021. This program has been taken up under National Hydrology Project, a Central Scheme of DOWR, and RD & GR and supported by the Australian Water Partnership. 
• University of South Queensland’s Associate Professor Avinesh Deo was awarded the Australia–India Strategic Research Fund Early and Mid-Career Fellowship 2020, on his work on how the latest artificial intelligence technologies can be used to address drought and water resources management issues in India.
• IIT Kharagpur and the Melbourne School of Engineering, University of Melbourne organised Integrated Urban Water Management Systems in 2019. This project is funded under Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC).