PM chairs valedictory session of National Departmental Summit on Water

The National Departmental Summit on Water, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on its valedictory session, marks a watershed moment in India's approach to water governance. Organized by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, this first-of-its-kind two-day summit represents the operationalization of the Prime Minister's vision for 'Departmental Summits' — a novel institutional mechanism designed to strengthen the spirit of 'Team India,' deepen cooperative federalism, and foster collective ownership of national priorities through structured Centre-State collaboration. The backdrop is compelling: India, with 18% of the world's population but only 4% of its freshwater resources, faces acute water stress. NITI Aayog's Composite Water Management Index (2019) warned that 21 major cities could run out of groundwater by 2030, and by 2050, water demand could exceed supply by a factor of two. The summit brought together Ministers and senior officials from States and Union Territories, recognizing that water is a State subject under Entry 17 of the State List (List II) of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, while inter-state rivers fall under Union jurisdiction (Entry 56, Union List). This constitutional division has historically led to fragmented governance and inter-state disputes — the Cauvery, Krishna, and Mahanadi tribunals being prime examples. The summit's emphasis on cooperative federalism directly addresses this structural challenge. Prime Minister Modi's interventions reflect deep administrative experience from his tenure as Gujarat's Chief Minister (2001-2014), where initiatives like the Sujalam Sufalam Yojana and Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) project demonstrated how scarcity can be transformed into opportunity through systematic planning, political commitment, and capable bureaucracy. His call for 'Jal Utsav' to promote Jan Bhagidari (people's participation) echoes the success of the Swachh Bharat Mission's behavioural change model. The emphasis on Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) through 'Chintan Shivirs' is timely — India's urban population is projected to reach 600 million by 2036 (World Urbanization Prospects), and the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act (1992) mandates ULBs to manage water supply, yet most lack capacity, finances, and data. The push for AI-driven water data governance with uniform formats addresses a critical gap: currently, water data is scattered across Central Water Commission, Central Ground Water Board, state departments, and local bodies, often in incompatible formats. The National Water Informatics Centre (NWIC) and the India-WRIS portal are steps toward integration, but the Prime Minister's call for anticipatory planning using treated wastewater for agriculture and industry aligns with the circular economy principles of the National Water Policy (2012) and the Atal Bhujal Yojana (launched 2019, World Bank-assisted). Dam safety received specific attention — India has 5,745 large dams (5th globally), with 293 over 100 years old. The Dam Safety Act, 2021, enacted after decades of deliberation, establishes a National Committee on Dam Safety and State Dam Safety Organizations, but implementation remains uneven. The PM's stress on pre-monsoon preparedness and curricular integration for school students reflects a shift from reactive to preventive governance. The four outcomes outlined by Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil — accelerated infrastructure completion, sustained conservation movement, drinking water source sustainability, and institutionalized O&M of rural schemes — map directly onto the Jal Jeevan Mission (launched 2019, target: Functional Household Tap Connection to every rural household by 2024, now extended) and the Amrit Sarovar Mission (launched 2022, target: 75 water bodies per district). The suggestion for inter-state study visits involving farmers, officials, and public representatives institutionalizes peer learning, a proven method in federal systems like Australia's Murray-Darling Basin governance. Looking ahead, the summit's success hinges on whether the 'continuous process of review and follow-up' materializes into a permanent intergovernmental council for water, akin to the GST Council, and whether the AI-driven data architecture can overcome federal data silos. For aspirants, this summit exemplifies the evolving architecture of Indian federalism — moving from adversarial Centre-State relations to collaborative problem-solving on existential national challenges.