World Water Development Report

The United Nations World Water Development Report titled ‘Water for People Water for Life’, published in 2003, has ranked India as 133rd in the list of countries in terms of water availability per person per year.

The Government of India is aware of the challenges in the water sector resulting from reducing per capita water availability due to population growth, increasing demand for water for various purposes, over-exploitation of water resources, particularly ground water resources and deterioration of water quality.

Several steps for augmentation, conservation and efficient management to ensure sustainability of water resources are undertaken by the respective State Governments. In order to supplement the efforts of the State Governments, Government of India provides technical and financial assistance to State Governments to encourage sustainable development and efficient management of water resources through various schemes and programmes. The Government of India has launched National Water Mission. The main objective of National Water Mission is “conservation of Water, minimizing wastage and ensuring its more equitable distribution both across and within States through integrated water resources development and management”.