The Draft River Basin Management Bill, 2018

The draft River Basin Management Bill proposes optimum development of inter-State rivers by facilitating inter-State coordination ensuring scientific planning of land and water resources taking basin/sub-basin as unit with unified perspectives of water in all its forms (including soil moisture, ground and surface water) and ensuring comprehensive and balanced development of both catchment and command areas. The draft Bill proposed to establish 13 River Basin Authorities forvarious river basins of the country. It is expected that enactment of the proposed legislation would result in optimum integrated development and management of inter-State River waters with basin approach and will result in change of environment from the one of conflicts to that of cooperation.