The National Water Mission is one of the 8 National Missions which form the core of the National Action Plan for Climate Change.Water scarcity from being merely a topic for decision is becoming a harsh reality and if judiciously utilized and valued, might even become as precious as oil. It is already second to oil in importance and unless conserved might even become a paid resource. Nobody would want to pay for water although some are already doing so albeit for portable water. (Know more about Earth’s water distribution and Indian scenario.
The
objective of National Water Mission is "conservation
of water, minimizing wastage and ensuring its equitable distribution both
across and within States through integrated water resources development and
management".
Five
goals identified in the National Water Mission are Comprehensive water data
base in public domain and assessment of the impact of climate change on water
resources; promotion of citizen and state actions for water conservation,
augmentation and preservation; focused attention to vulnerable areas including
over-exploited areas; increasing water use efficiency by 20%; and promotion of
basin level integrated water resources management.
Salient features of the National Water Mission are-