The establishment of the Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) is a landmark achievement in
the context of India’s water management. The Index can help reinforce the principle of ‘competitive
and cooperative federalism’ in the country and enable innovation in the water ecosystem. The CWMI is
the country’s first comprehensive and integrated national dataset for water. The conceptualization,
development, and operationalization of this Index has involved close collaboration between several levels
of national, state, and local policymakers and government officers. This has enabled the collection and
compilation of key information in a data-scarce sector, which is expected to have two major benefits. The
first is that the Index can help establish a sense of competitiveness across states to improve their
performance in water management, while fostering close collaboration across states and with the centre.
Second, since the data will be available on a public platform, researchers, entrepreneurs, NGOs, and
policymakers can use it to create innovative products, provide value-added services, and design targeted
policies and interventions. Going forward, the government can support this process by potentially
designing a technological platform with open APIs to help unlock innovation in the broader water
ecosystem.
Objectives of the Index:
The CWMI is envisioned to bring about much-required improvements in water resource management and conservation in India in a coherent and collaborative manner. The Index will be a public platform that provides an annual snapshot of the water sector status and the water management performance of the different states and UTs in India. The Index will measure both the overall progress made by states in water management and the incremental improvement in performance across time. The results of the entire exercise will be used to propel action in the states to improve water outcomes, besides improving data collection and performance monitoring mechanisms. The Index is expected to promote the spirit of ‘competitive and cooperative federalism’ in the country, and ensure sustainable and effective management of water resources. The data included in the Index will be made publicly available to researchers and entrepreneurs to drive innovation in the sector. The collection and compilation of this strategic dataset is a big step towards addressing the country’s projected water risk and shortfall.
Scope and structure of the Index Themes and indicators The Index comprises nine themes (each having an attached weight), covering groundwater and surface water restoration, major and medium irrigation, watershed development, participatory irrigation management, on-farm water use, rural and urban water supply, and policy and governance. The themes and their respective weights are displayed . The themes are further sub-divided into 28 indicators. It should be highlighted that the data collection exercise necessary to develop and populate the Index was unprecedented. Not only was data on several indicators collected for the first time, but the exercise also involved deep collaboration among states, as well as extensive centre-state coordination.
The Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) is a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive scorecard for identifying, targeting, and solving problems in the water sector across the country. Its ranking and scoring system across states, as well as the collaborative process of Index design and updates, will ensure that the principle of ‘competitive and cooperative federalism’ is actualized in the country’s water management system. As the Index goes through multiple iterations, its ability to capture the fundamental drivers of water in India will increase, and it is likely to emerge as the definitive dataset for understanding India’s water sector. Going forward, the government can amplify the impact of the Index by developing a platform that can be accessed by researchers, NGOs, entrepreneurs and policymakers to enable innovation in the broader water ecosystem.
The indicators in the Water Index have been grouped into nine broad themes, which are:
i. Source augmentation and restoration of water bodies
ii. Source augmentation (Groundwater)
iii. Major and medium irrigation—Supply side management
iv. Watershed development—Supply side management,
v. Participatory irrigation practices—Demand side management
vi. Sustainable on-farm water use practices—Demand side management
vii. Rural drinking water
viii. Urban water supply and sanitation
ix. Policy and governance
Objectives of the Index:
The CWMI is envisioned to bring about much-required improvements in water resource management and conservation in India in a coherent and collaborative manner. The Index will be a public platform that provides an annual snapshot of the water sector status and the water management performance of the different states and UTs in India. The Index will measure both the overall progress made by states in water management and the incremental improvement in performance across time. The results of the entire exercise will be used to propel action in the states to improve water outcomes, besides improving data collection and performance monitoring mechanisms. The Index is expected to promote the spirit of ‘competitive and cooperative federalism’ in the country, and ensure sustainable and effective management of water resources. The data included in the Index will be made publicly available to researchers and entrepreneurs to drive innovation in the sector. The collection and compilation of this strategic dataset is a big step towards addressing the country’s projected water risk and shortfall.
Scope and structure of the Index Themes and indicators The Index comprises nine themes (each having an attached weight), covering groundwater and surface water restoration, major and medium irrigation, watershed development, participatory irrigation management, on-farm water use, rural and urban water supply, and policy and governance. The themes and their respective weights are displayed . The themes are further sub-divided into 28 indicators. It should be highlighted that the data collection exercise necessary to develop and populate the Index was unprecedented. Not only was data on several indicators collected for the first time, but the exercise also involved deep collaboration among states, as well as extensive centre-state coordination.
The Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) is a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive scorecard for identifying, targeting, and solving problems in the water sector across the country. Its ranking and scoring system across states, as well as the collaborative process of Index design and updates, will ensure that the principle of ‘competitive and cooperative federalism’ is actualized in the country’s water management system. As the Index goes through multiple iterations, its ability to capture the fundamental drivers of water in India will increase, and it is likely to emerge as the definitive dataset for understanding India’s water sector. Going forward, the government can amplify the impact of the Index by developing a platform that can be accessed by researchers, NGOs, entrepreneurs and policymakers to enable innovation in the broader water ecosystem.
The indicators in the Water Index have been grouped into nine broad themes, which are:
i. Source augmentation and restoration of water bodies
ii. Source augmentation (Groundwater)
iii. Major and medium irrigation—Supply side management
iv. Watershed development—Supply side management,
v. Participatory irrigation practices—Demand side management
vi. Sustainable on-farm water use practices—Demand side management
vii. Rural drinking water
viii. Urban water supply and sanitation
ix. Policy and governance
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