National Water Policy and Its Implementation in India: Important MCQs

National Water Policy and Its Implementation in India provides the strategic framework for water conservation, allocation, management, and sustainable utilisation of the nation’s water resources. By addressing issues such as water scarcity, efficiency, groundwater management, and integrated water resource planning, the policy plays a crucial role in achieving long-term water security. Understanding these principles is essential for effective environmental governance and for success in UGC-NET/JRF, SLET, ARS, GATE, and other competitive examinations.

Use this curated MCQ bank to assess your conceptual understanding, identify knowledge gaps, and strengthen your preparation for competitive examinations.

Syllabus Outline

1. Historical evolution and the necessity of a national water policy.
2. Key features of the National Water Policy (NWP) across its versions in 1987, 2002, and 2012.
3. The institutional and legal framework.
4. Roles of central and state governments and the Water Act.
5. Water resource planning and management through Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and watershed development.
6. Prioritisation of water use for drinking, agriculture, industry, and ecological sustainability, alongside mechanisms for resolving inter-sectoral allocation conflicts.
7. The challenges of policy implementation, fragmented governance and data inadequacies.
8. Additionally, the impact of climate change on water availability and policy responses to mitigate it.
9. Community participation, particularly through Panchayati Raj Institutions.
10. Policy challenges and future directions for ensuring sustainable water governance in India.

Quick Study Guide

India’s water governance system manages competing demands from agriculture, rapid urbanisation, and industrial growth using constitutional rules, structured national policies, and targeted public programs.

A. Constitutional Jurisdiction over Water Resources

1. State List: Water is fundamentally a State subject. This includes water supplies, irrigation, canals, drainage, embankments, and water power storage.
2. Union List: Gives the Central Government the power to regulate and develop inter-state rivers and river valleys if Parliament decides it is in the public interest.
3. Article 262: Deals specifically with resolving inter-state water disputes. Under this article, Parliament passed the Inter-State Water Disputes Act of 1956, which allows the creation of independent tribunals (e.g. the Cauvery or Krishna Water Disputes Tribunals) to settle fights over shared rivers. Crucially, it bars the Supreme Court from hearing appeals directly over these tribunal decisions.

B. Chronological Evolution of the National Water Policy

The Ministry of Jal Shakti updates the National Water Policy to shift focus from simple infrastructure expansion to holistic water conservation.

1. First National Water Policy, 1987: Prioritised developing irrigation networks and expanding drinking water access, treating water primarily as a structural economic resource.
2. Second National Water Policy, 2002: Introduced institutional reforms such as Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and encouraged private-sector participation in urban water supply distribution networks.
3. Third National Water Policy, 2012: Shifted focus to the ecological needs of rivers, declaring water an economic good after basic human needs are met. It advocated for a unified legal framework and community-managed aquifer mapping.

C. The Water Allocation Priority Hierarchy

When water resources are scarce, the National Water Policy dictates a strict priority sequence for water allocation.

1. Drinking Water: Absolute priority (safeguarding human and livestock survival).
2. Irrigation: Second priority, reflecting India’s dependency on monsoon agriculture.
3. Hydro-power Generation: Third priority, providing grid stability.
4. Ecology: Dedicated environmental flows to keep river ecosystems alive.
5. Industries & Navigation: Lowest priority tiers.

D. Key Flagship Missions and Implementation Schemes

The current water policies are in action through major public works projects that focus on rural access, conservation, and efficiency.

1. Jal Jeevan Mission (Rural): An initiative aiming to provide Functional Household Tap Connections to all rural households. The target metric is 55 litres of safe water per capita per day.
2. Atal Bhujal Yojana: A community-led scheme funded partly by the World Bank. It focuses on sustainable groundwater management across stressed blocks in India through Gram Panchayats in creating water security plans.
3. National Water Mission: One of the eight missions under India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change. Its core goal is to increase water use efficiency by 20%, primarily by promoting water recycling and micro-irrigation systems like drip and sprinkler networks.

Test Your Knowledge

This quiz contains 25 concept-based MCQs on “National Water Policy and Its Implementation in India“. Each question has a single correct/most appropriate answer.

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1. India has more than 18 % of the world’s population but has _________of the world’s renewable water resources.

a) About 4%

b) More than 40%

c) Only 0.4%

d) About 14

2. The primary objective of India’s National Water Policy 2012 is:

a) To prevent commercial exploitation of water resources

b) To manage water resources comprehensively

c) To manufacture water at the national level

d) To monitor and model hydrological parameters for an accurate weather forecast

3. The National Water Policy was first formulated in:

a) 1987

b) 2002

c) 2012

d) 2020

4. Which aspect of water management is given priority in the National Water Policy 2012?

a) Marine water

b) Industrial water

c) Drinking water

d) Agricultural water

5. IWRM is an abbreviated form of:

a) Integrated Water Resources Management

b) International Water Resources Management

c) Indian Water Resources Management

d) Integrated Water Resources Development and Management

6. What is the suitable approach for inter-basin transfer according to the National Water Policy 2012?

a) Prioritise inter-basin transfers with minimal environmental impact assessments.

b) Encourage intra-basin water conservation before considering inter-basin transfers.

c) Implement inter-basin transfers with a focus on economic benefits for receiving regions.

d) Allow transfer of inter-basin only after securing consent from all stakeholders.

7. The National Water Policy 2012 recommends which type of pricing for water.

a) Free water for all

b) Rational pricing

c) High pricing for personal use

d) Subsidised pricing for railway use

8. IWRM addresses the “three E’s”:

a) Evaluation of Resources, Economic efficiency, Environmental sustainability,

b) Economic efficiency, Environmental impact assessment and Social Equity

c) Ecosystem Management, Environmental Impact, and Social Equity

d) Economic efficiency, Environmental sustainability and Social Equity

9. According to the National Water Policy 2012, which type of irrigation is promoted to enhance water use efficiency?

a) Flood irrigation

b) Drip and sprinkler irrigation

c) Surface irrigation

d) Canal irrigation

10. The policy recommends which of the following to address waterlogging and salinity issues in irrigation?

a) Decrease irrigation intensity

b) Conjunctive use of surface and groundwater

c) Minimum use of chemical fertilisers

d) Crop rotation

11. What is the primary principle for planning, developing, and managing water resources according to the National Water Policy?

a) Integrated Water Resources Management

b) Decentralised Water Management

c) Sectoral Water Allocation

d) Water Privatisation

12. Which organisation was established to collect, collate, and process hydrological data regularly from all over the country?

a) National Water Resources Council

b) National Water Informatics Centre

c) Central Water Commission

d) Water Resource Development Authority

13. Which one of the following statements is false regarding the regulation of water recycling?

a) It involves discretionary judgment.

b) It includes acts, rules, guidelines, and policy statements.

c) It is solely the responsibility of the Commonwealth Government.

d) It is often reactive, addressing needs as they arise.

14. Which type of maps should be prepared to evolve coping strategies for floods and droughts according to the National Water Policy?

a) Topographic maps

b) Frequency-based flood inundation maps

c) LULC maps

d) Climate change maps

15. What should be developed to monitor water quality in both surface and groundwater within the river basin?

a) Water Quality Monitoring Centre

b) National Water Informatics Centre

c) River Basin Authority

d) State Water Resources Council

16. Which of the following is not directly linked with watershed problems?

a) Areas where plant roots are exposed

b) Areas where heavy rain turns streams muddy, or where a lot of soil accumulates at the bottom of the slope.

c) Areas where the soil surface is covered with stones

d) Areas where a large number of human settlements and/or urbanisation occur

17. What should be established to evaluate the impacts of policy decisions and to evolve policy directives for changing scenarios of water resources?

a) National Water Resources Council

b) Water Policy Evaluation Committee

c) Water Research Institute

d) Autonomous Centre for Research in Water Policy

18. Which one of the following is not an ideal solution for tackling water shortages?

a) Controlling population growth

b) Conserving water in irrigation

c) Controlling water pollution

d) Drilling deep bore wells

19. What was established at the national level to deliberate upon water issues and evolve consensus, cooperation, and reconciliation amongst party States?

a) National Water Resources Council

b) Water Disputes Tribunal

c) River Basin Authority

d) Water Policy Evaluation Committee

20. Which of the following steps can reduce evaporation and increase infiltration?

a) Siltation

b) Crop Rotation and intercropping

c) Contour trenches

d) Mulching

21. Which body is established within each State to amicably resolve differences in competing demands for water amongst different users?

a) Water Disputes Tribunal

b) State Water Resources Council

c) River Basin Authority

d) Water Policy Evaluation Committee

22. What should be associated in public-private partnership mode with penalties for failure, under regulatory control on prices charged and service standards according to the National Water Policy?

a) State Water Resources Council

b) Water Disputes Tribunal

c) Urban local bodies

d) River Basin Authority

23. What may need to be drafted/revised following the National Water Policy, keeping in mind the basic concerns and principles as a unified national perspective?

a) State Water Policies

b) Water Disputes Tribunal

c) River Basin Authority

d) National Water Board

24. What type of data needs to be collected because of likely climate change, according to the National Water Policy?

a) Snow and glaciers data

b) Soil erosion data

c) Agricultural data

d) Groundwater data

25. Which conditions may increase the severity of drought conditions?

I – Less rainfall than normal and poor distribution of rainfall

II – Not having enough topsoil and a hardpan

III – Not having adequate soil cover

IV – Slow runoff and increased infiltration into the soil

a) I only

b) I and II

c) I, II and III

d) IV only

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References

1. Divan, Shyam (2022). Environmental Law and Policy in India, Oxford University Press, 3^rd Edition.
2. Erach Bharucha (2017). Environmental Studies, Universities Press, 4^th Edition.
3. Singh, J.S., Gupta, S.R., Singh, S.P. & Singh, R. (2026). Ecology, Environmental Science and Conservation, S Chand Publishing, 2^nd Edition.

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