Kochi: The Kerala government has finalised a River Basin Conservation and Management (RBCM) framework to strengthen the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) across the river basins in the state.
This is in response to the growing challenges posed by population expansion, industrialisation, and climate change.
This structured approach serves as a guiding framework by outlining governance standards, planning methodologies, financial management practices, and community engagement strategies.
The framework promotes collaboration among stakeholders for sustainable river basin management through clearly defined roles and responsibilities across departments.
Three committees – the Apex Committee, the Steering Committee, and the Technical Committee – will oversee the implementation of the framework.
The Apex Committee, chaired by the Chief Minister, will comprise senior ministers and officials, with the Additional Chief Secretary (Water Resources) serving as the convener.
The Steering Committee, led by the Chief Secretary, will include principal secretaries from stakeholder departments. The Technical Committee, chaired by the Additional Chief Secretary (Water Resources), will include specialists in forestry, agriculture, disaster management, and pollution control for providing expert advisory support.
Additionally, a River Basin Level Committee, headed by the District Collector, will include local body heads, technical experts in water resource management, hydrology, climate science, GIS analysis, agriculture, land management, fisheries and representatives from NGOs and civil society, with Executive Engineer (Irrigation) serving as the convener.
By establishing this framework, the government reaffirms its commitment to effective water resource management, ensuring resilience and sustainability in the face of environmental challenges.
The state-level framework brings all intrastate rivers under a unified conservation and management
approach. This marks a notable milestone in water governance and represents a crucial move towards sustainable water resource management.
Under this framework, each river basin will operate with a long-term plan and an Annual Action Plan (AAP) to ensure sustainable management and conservation.
Financial support will be drawn from departmental budget allocations, a dedicated pool fund for state-level management, and supplementary funding sources.
All operational functions of the framework will comply with the relevant acts and rules, ensuring that it does not clash with existing statutory authorities.
Notably, this framework applies to all rivers that originate and flow entirely within Kerala, excluding interstate rivers that pass through the state. These decisions were taken at a cabinet meeting held yesterday.
