PANAJI
At a time when Goa is grappling with fears of a possible water crisis due to prolonged dry spells during the monsoon and inadequate adoption of water conservation measures, the State is set to be assessed by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti on its implementation of key water sector reforms.
Under the State Water Reform Framework (SWRF), Goa will be evaluated on its performance in improving water governance and sustainable resource management across five broad dimensions – policy and regulation, project monitoring, digitalisation and research and development, infrastructure, and information, education and community engagement.
The assessment covers 27 sub-dimensions and 75 indicators carrying a composite score of 100 points. Areas to be examined include groundwater regulation, flood management, participatory irrigation management, river governance, treated water reuse, rainwater harvesting, water-use efficiency, establishment of water quality laboratories and sewage treatment infrastructure, besides digital initiatives such as State Water Informatics Centres and integration with national water platforms.
“The main objective of SWRF is to encourage States/UTs towards adoption of key water sector reforms by highlighting gaps in policy, regulation, institutional capacity, and governance frameworks apart from incremental and continuous improvement in water resources management through simple, transparent, and comparable benchmarking across States/UTs,” the Ministry said.
The framework has assumed significance for Goa as concerns mount over declining water availability, depleting groundwater resources and the State's limited progress in implementing large-scale water conservation and rainwater harvesting initiatives.
Under the framework, Goa has been classified as ‘Non Himalayan State’ along with 17 other States.
The Union Ministry has stipulated that reforms undertaken by States and UTs up to December 31, 2026, will be considered for evaluation. States are required to submit their responses by January 31, 2027, following which the Ministry will validate the submissions and release the rankings in April 2027.
