NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change has given an in-principle clearance to the long pending National Water Mission — one of the eight missions planned under the National Action Plan on Climate Change.
As a first step under the plan, the council has agreed that all the data on water should be put in the public domain to help mobilise better action on water conservation and augmentation.
The PM, who chaired the council, recommended an integrated approach based on river basins and said that political leadership at the local body level, state level and civil society organisations need to be involved in activities of the mission.
It was decided that a water data base would be put up in the public domain and an assessment of the impact of climate change on water would be carried out.
Action needs to be focused on areas, where ground water is overexploited. It was also decided that water use efficiency should be raised by 20% through water-positive and water-neutral technologies.
