The Politics Behind Water Reform Narratives

National Water Commission (NWC) subsumes the Central Water Commission (CWC) and Central Ground Water Board (CGWB)

National Water Commission (NWC) subsumes the Central Water Commission (CWC) and Central Ground Water Board (CGWB)

It began as a heavy rain, the kind that Himachal Pradesh has seen before. But by the night of June 28, it became clear that this was no ordinary monsoon rain. Cloudbursts over the upper reaches of the Beas basin triggered a chain reaction — landslides, glacial run-off, river swelling, and catastrophic flooding.

Water problems are not new in India. They have been there for many millennia in different forms—water scarcity, droughts, floods, water logging, water contamination, etc.

One of the oldest water treaties on the planet which was over sharing of waters between two nations of South Asia that came into existence in 1960 and survived several tensions and military conflicts

It has been almost three decades since the efforts to pitch groundwater against surface water began in India by a bunch of researchers and academicians, with the sole aim of proving that the former (groundwater) is better than the latter (surface water) for meeting India’s growing water demands.

When the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2025 results were released on July 2, few expected Himachal Pradesh — which ranked at a modest 21st place in 2021 — to leap into the top five. While Punjab and Kerala retained their leading positions, it was Himachal’s 16-rank jump that garnered headlines.