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NITI Aayog has taken a major step toward decentralised water management by launching the "Water budgeting in aspirational blocks" report on November 20, 2025, in collaboration with GIZ India. This initiative is designed to boost local water security and build climate resilience across the country. The report provides a structured, data-driven framework that enables blocks to precisely assess their water demand and supply across human consumption, livestock, agriculture, and industry, utilising available sources like groundwater and surface runoff. By implementing this systematic approach, supported by the web-based Varuni platform, the Aayog aims to move water security planning to the block level, allowing local authorities to enact proactive measures before severe scarcity hits.
The study applied this water budgeting framework across 18 aspirational blocks spanning eight agro-climatic zones in 11 states, highlighting the diverse water challenges facing India. The findings reveal the heterogeneity of water availability and emphasize the need for context-specific solutions. The report offers customized strategies for each block, focusing on improving the equitable distribution of water, identifying areas of high consumption, and planning for more efficient resource utilisation. Ultimately, the goal is to provide local insights into the precise demand-supply scenario, offering actionable recommendations to strengthen both water resilience and overall sustainability at the grassroots level.
Beyond data and technology, the report strongly emphasises the central role of community participation in achieving sustainable water management. By focusing on measurable, local interventions, the water budgeting exercise is designed to enhance water availability, which in turn leads to improved health outcomes and supported livelihoods, especially in regions vulnerable to water stress. As India shifts towards convergent water resource management, digital governance, and outcome-based planning, NITI Aayog positions this local water budgeting tool as indispensable for achieving climate resilience and meeting sustainable development goals effectively and equitably. (Indian Masterminds)
Kerala is initiating a significant shift in its water management philosophy, moving away from the long-held "myth of abundance" to one that recognises increasing water stress. The new draft water policy aims to fundamentally change public behaviour by regulating usage and ending the perception of free access. The core of the policy involves implementing permits for all groundwater extraction to curb unregulated drilling and illegal exploitation. Furthermore, pricing will be introduced as a key tool for behavioural change, with tariffs based on how water is used and where it is sourced, applying higher rates for commercial, industrial, and excessive domestic consumption.
The new policy introduces tighter environmental controls, particularly for the industrial sector, while empowering local governance. Industries will face stricter structural requirements, including mandatory digital frameworks for monitoring and groundwater abstraction charges. Water-intensive activities will be restricted in high-risk, over-exploited areas. Simultaneously, local self-governments are tasked with leading initiatives to protect water quality, manage pollution from solid waste and septic tanks, and implement regular inspections to combat new threats like microplastics and pharmaceuticals in water bodies.
Crucially, the policy outlines multiple strategies for climate resilience and sustainable development. It strongly promotes rainwater harvesting and mandates innovative domestic measures, such as installing two separate tanks in every house—one for drinking/cooking and one for other uses—to guarantee water quality and supply. On the macro level, the policy calls for improving agricultural water efficiency, expanding dam and reservoir capacities to better manage extreme rainfall events, and undertaking structural repairs. Ultimately, the new framework is designed as a 10-year action plan to establish basin-based water governance and a dedicated water regulatory authority to ensure equitable and sustainable water use for the state's future. (The Times of India)
The Kerala High Court has directed the state government to ensure the Kerala Ground Water Authority is fully functional within the next three months. The directive, issued by a bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice V M Syam Kumar, was given while considering a petition seeking to halt unauthorized bulk groundwater extraction in the Ernakulam district.
The High Court noted that the statutory body, constituted under the Groundwater (Control and Regulation) Act, 2002, is currently non-functional. It observed from an earlier affidavit that the Authority lacks a permanent cadre, regular staff, qualified scientists, and technical officers, in addition to facing a severe shortage of funds. This operational failure renders the Authority unable to effectively address current and future groundwater management challenges as envisioned by the Act.
During the hearing, the High Court emphasised that the Authority must be made functional immediately, citing its crucial responsibility for managing the state's groundwater resources. The bench questioned the government on why it had allowed the body to remain non-operational. Following the government's request for additional time to comply, the court adjourned the petition until December 11. (The Times of India)
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a directive compelling the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Plantation Corporation of Kerala, and the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) to launch a joint investigation into the alarming disappearance of hundreds of barrels containing the banned insecticide Endosulfan. This highly toxic organochlorine, known for causing severe environmental and genetic harm, was prohibited by the Supreme Court in 2011. The urgency of the matter is underscored by the CPCB's own conflicting reports: while an initial 2024 report documented 278 barrels in Kerala, a subsequent 2025 report could only locate 69, prompting an environmental activist to petition the Tribunal over the significant discrepancy.
The core concern raised by the petitioner, Ravindranath Shanbhogue, is the strong likelihood of unscientific and illegal dumping of the missing barrels in the hilly regions near the Kerala–Karnataka border. This potential environmental crime poses a severe risk of groundwater and well contamination, a threat amplified by the region's tragic history of Endosulfan exposure. Years of aerial spraying over cashew plantations in Kasaragod have already resulted in over 6,600 registered victims suffering from severe health impacts, including genetic disorders, endocrine disruption, and cancer, emphasizing the catastrophic consequences of any remaining traces of the pesticide.
In its binding order issued on October 29, the NGT mandated a comprehensive joint investigation to determine the fate of the missing barrels, precisely measure the extent of soil and water contamination, and outline necessary remedial measures. Crucially, the Tribunal directed the Plantation Corporation of Kerala to bear all associated costs for the investigation and subsequent cleanup. The analysis must be conducted under the supervision of the CPCB or Kerala SPCB, allowing for the engagement of expert agencies, with the final report due in the first week of January for review by all concerned parties. (The New Indian Express)
The NGT has expressed serious alarm over the worsening condition of wetlands across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, following the review of a detailed report that found water samples to be significantly below prescribed quality standards. The Tribunal, hearing a suo motu case initiated based on a news report, noted that illegal encroachment, cultivation, waste discharge, and sedimentation are the primary factors contributing to the deterioration of these critical ecosystems. Following these findings, the NGT has explicitly demanded that concerned authorities provide details on both the remedial and punitive actions taken against violators responsible for the pollution.
The NGT highlighted data from a November 2025 report filed by the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee (JKPCC) which sampled 88 wetlands across the Kashmir division. The majority of these samples failed to meet Class-B (outdoor bathing) water quality standards, particularly for critical indicators like Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), and faecal coliform. District-wise results painted a worrying picture, with 26 of 28 samples failing BOD standards in Bandipora and all six samples failing both BOD and DO norms in Pulwama. In the Jammu division, all wetlands tested in the Jammu South, Jammu North, Kathua, and Samba North regions also failed to meet the Class-B criteria.
Despite the alarming water quality data, the Tribunal observed that the JKPCC report lacked any mention of the punitive measures taken against individuals or entities contributing to the pollution. Consequently, the NGT has mandated that a comprehensive compliance report be submitted detailing all corrective actions and strictly enforcing a 2019 Supreme Court order that requires a 75-meter buffer zone (a no-construction zone) to be maintained from the periphery of lakes and wetlands. Both the JKPCC and the Ministry of Environment and Forest have been directed to submit fresh reports on ground-truthing, punitive steps, and compliance with the buffer zone guidelines before the next hearing on February 13, 2026. (Daily Excelsior)
This is a roundup of policy updates from November 16, 2025 to November 30, 2025. Read our news updates here