Composite Water Management Index 2019

Released by the NITI Aayog, it aims to create awareness among people and governments about the realities of water crisis in the country. It enables effective water management in Indian states in the face of this growing crisis.

• Indicators: It ranks all states comprising 9 broad sectors with 28 different indicators covering various aspects of ground water, restoration of water bodies, irrigation, farm practices, drinking water, policy and governance. The reference year for the present Index is 2017-18.

Key Performers

• Non Himalayan States: Gujarat is at the top followed by Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
• North Eastern and Himalayan States: Himachal Pradesh is at the top followed by Uttarakhand, Tripura and Assam.
• Union Territories: Puducherry is at the top followed by Delhi.
• Incremental Change: Haryana holds number one position in general States and Uttarakhand ranks at first position amongst North Eastern and Himalayan States.

Key Concerns

• Almost 80% of the states assessed on the Index over the last three years (2015-17) have improved their water management scores. But 16 out of the 27 states still fall in the low-performing category which collectively account for 48% of the population, 40% of agricultural produce, and 35% of economic output of India
• Risk of water security will have wider implications which may hamper economic security, ecological security, urban growth and food security.