Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Water conservation Act to be amended

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Water Resources Department will amend the Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation Act to make participatory irrigation management mandatory for irrigation projects to be taken up by the government.

Sources in the department told The Hindu here on Tuesday that a comprehensive amendment had been envisaged by adding a chapter to the Act so that clearance for projects could be given only with the involvement of elected representatives and the local people.

The participatory irrigation management system has been experimented with in the Neyyar and Malampuzha irrigation projects and found effective in completing the works in a time-bound and transparent manner. Following the success, Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran is understood to have directed the department authorities to start the preparatory work for amending the Act.

The involvement of MLAs, elected representatives of the local self-government institutions and people is expected to make the execution of works transparent and the implementing officers more accountable. One of the main advantages of the proposed system is that it will help to get rid of corrupt practices in preparing estimates and floating tenders. There are complaints that the work estimates are inflated and unrealistic. Since the projects are constantly monitored by the public, the officials will be committed to completing them without delay, sources said.

It has been proposed to do away with the procedural wrangles in issuing clearances for new projects. Recently, 41 drinking water projects launched with the support of the Life Insurance Corporation of India many years ago and had been incomplete for years were revived with the assistance of the National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development. A specific timeframe has been set for completing the projects and the technical as well as administrative sanctions were issued by the officials and the Minister with the involvement of MLAs and members of civic bodies in a day. This model will be emulated for all minor irrigation projects.

Widespread encroachment on water-bodies is feared to lead to their extinction. Such instances escape official attention and go unpunished owing to lack of public involvement. The proposed amendment will ensure local involvement in conserving water bodies and incorporate stringent punitive provisions against those encroaching on lakes and rivers, sources said.

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