Kerala: First State To Adopt Water Budget To Address Summer Water Shortages

Kerala became the first state to approve a water budget in an effort to address water scarcity in certain areas. The project's initial phase would include 94-gramme panchayats and 15-block panchayats.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan unveiled the Public Water Budget on Monday, along with the start of the third phase of the Ini Njan Ozhukatte (Let me flow now) project for the rehabilitation of irrigation networks in the Western Ghats. The state proposed a water budget for the first time in 2019. The present budget was created with the supply and consumption of water in mind.

The budget provides information about the availability of water in a specific location as well as its use based on the region's population. The initiative aims to raise public knowledge about efficient water use and reduce waste. The Centre for Water Resource Development Management and the state water agency worked together to create the budget.

“Water usage must be regulated in accordance with its availability in a given area. The water budget comes into play here. It would raise public awareness about avoidable water waste, allowing us to achieve water conservation. It is a first-of-its-kind project in the country and will serve as a model for other states to follow,” according to Vijayan.

According to government estimates, the state has recovered hundreds of water bodies as part of the Ini Njan Ozhukatte project and will use satellite data to analyse the quality of water bodies in 230-gramme panchayats in its third phase. Around 7,290 km of irrigation networks were revitalised throughout the first and second stages. Despite Although the state possesses 44 rivers and other water sources, certain areas endure acute water shortages during the summer