Water is a unique substance. It is one of the few materials on Earth that exists naturally as a solid, liquid or gas. It is not possible for life on Earth to exist without water. Scientists estimate that there are more than a billion cubic kilometers of water on this Earth, covering nearly three-quarters of the Earth`s surface. While this may seem like an exceedingly large amount, less than one percent is actually fresh and usable and is found in lakes, ponds, rivers, and groundwater. Of the rest, ninety-seven percent are trapped in oceans and two percent in glaciers and ice sheets. From a global perspective, freshwater is abundant and the amount of freshwater renewed by the water cycle between the oceans, atmosphere, sun and land is more than enough to meet the needs of five to ten times the world`s population. Water quality monitoring is not yet developed in some countries and is declining in others. The quality of drinking water poses a serious threat to the existence of life. The deterioration of water quality is a consequence of human activities, land use practices and economic development. Land use practices affect the water quality of our rivers, lakes, groundwater and, ultimately, the marine environment.
Experience has shown that it is in our ability to slow and reverse the deterioration of water quality to improve human health and ecosystem integrity through concerted efforts by nations. To achieve this, strong, positive and timely strategies and measures are needed. The world has a moral obligation to ensure that future generations inherit a world of clean water and a healthy environment. In the words of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), water is „the stuff of life and a fundamental human right“. [1] Water is therefore an essential element of life – including human life – on earth and therefore a central concern of law. From a legal perspective, UNDP rightly stresses the importance of the human rights dimension of water. In practice, however, water law consists of a number of elements that include a human rights dimension as well as economic, environmental or agricultural aspects. Historically, in particular, one of the central concerns of water law has been the development of principles for access to and control of water. Drinking water is directly vital to human life. Water is also indirectly essential to life, for example as an indispensable input in agriculture.
However, despite the central role that water has always played in sustaining life, human life and the human economy, the development of a formal water law has been relatively slow and often uneven. At the national level, colonial legislation initially focused on regulating water for economic reasons, such as drafting laws on irrigation and navigation. In recent decades, increasing water pollution and decreasing per capita availability have led to the development of other measures such as regulating water quality and focusing on water supply, especially in cities, as well as environmental measures. In any organized society, the right to live is guaranteed, because the encounter with a human being does not only guarantee the animal needs of humans. It is only secure if it is sure of all possibilities to develop it and is freed from restrictions that inhibit its growth. All human rights are aimed at solving this problem. Guaranteeing the right to life in any civilized society implies the right to food, water, a decent environment, education, medical care and housing. These are fundamental human rights that are known to any civilized society. All civil, political, social and cultural rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the General Convention or in the Constitution of India cannot be exercised without these fundamental human rights. Since water is a scarce resource, its sharing and distribution requires a regulatory framework obtained not only by written laws, but also by traditional and customary practices. In terms of legal development, irrigation laws represent the most historically developed part of water law.
The Water Act also includes a number of pre- and post-independence decrees in various areas. These include laws on drinking water supply, irrigation, floods, water conservation, river pollution, rehabilitation of evacuees and displaced persons, fishing and ferries. In India, water law consists of various elements. It includes international treaties, federal and state laws. It also includes a number of less formal agreements, including water and water-related policies, as well as common rules and regulations. In this context, I discuss water management in India, where we will see what the current scenario is and the need to take additional measures to overcome the future problems related to water scarcity. My article briefly describes the relevant legal framework for water in India and internationally with the techniques and guidelines we have applied to preserve and save water for our future generations. So if all goes according to plan, groundwater can be preserved for our future generations. Farmers who register under this program, their premium paid under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is paid by the provincial government itself, and not only these but also farmers who choose horticulture are entitled to the subsidy of Rs 30,000 per acre. It is planned to bring 1 lakh acre of land to sow alternative crops.
According to Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana, 18 vegetables were also included in the program and about 10.11 crores distributed to farmers. The government will also provide an 80% subsidy to farmers who opt for drip irrigation systems and other micro-irrigation systems. Databases on water quantity and quality and consumption patterns of different sectoral users are needed to make effective decisions. There is no adequate flow of information, as water resource management agencies rarely have the financial resources to collect and analyse a large amount of data. Decisions and policy-making are often inadequate. Politics is politically motivated and serves populist sentiments, regardless of long-term consequences and a holistic approach. Water awareness is only high in times of drought, extreme scarcity and dramatic deterioration in quality, with little attention paid to long-term preventive measures. Examples include the discharge of inadequately treated domestic and industrial wastewater into water bodies, poor agricultural practices that can lead to pollution, and unbalanced ecosystems.