The state of Kerala is embarking on a transformative journey to overhaul its relationship with water. The draft State Water Policy 2025, currently being reviewed by various departments, signals a dramatic departure from the long-standing belief that the state enjoys abundant water resources. This new framework aims to impose strict regulations on everything from groundwater extraction to pricing, marking a fundamental shift in water governance.
End of an Era: Groundwater as a Public Resource
The draft policy boldly challenges the "mistaken notion" of water abundance in Kerala. It acknowledges that while the state receives high annual rainfall, most of it occurs within a short monsoon window and rapidly drains into the sea due to the region's topography. This natural limitation is being severely compounded by human activity.
A primary concern highlighted is the conversion of paddy fields and wetlands for non-agricultural purposes, which has critically damaged the natural recharge of aquifers and intensified summer water shortages. In a landmark move, the policy proposes that legal ownership of groundwater should be vested with the government. This would effectively end the traditional system where whoever owned the land could freely extract the water beneath it.
"The state has to assert control now because the old system is simply not equipped to prevent reckless drilling and depletion," a senior official from the water resources department stated. The draft links this necessary intervention to mounting issues like unregulated drilling, a lack of data on wells, and the illegal exploitation of groundwater causing localized environmental damage.
Pricing, Meters, and Stricter Controls for All
The policy positions differential pricing as a key tool to influence water usage behavior. The concept involves linking water tariffs to availability and consumption patterns, ensuring that those who use more treated water pay a higher price, while basic domestic needs remain protected and affordable.
For industries, a new era of accountability is proposed. The draft calls for tighter control on non-domestic users, who will be required to obtain formal permission for abstraction structures. They must also install digital tamper-proof flow meters and pay specific groundwater abstraction or restoration charges. In a significant clampdown, water-intensive industries will be barred from drawing groundwater in zones already deemed over-exploited.
Units operating in water-scarce regions will be mandated to restrict their withdrawals, seek alternate sources such as abandoned quarries, or return treated effluent back into the hydrological system to maintain balance.
Household Measures and Broader Environmental Protection
The policy also outlines specific directives for households and local governance. It suggests that officials must verify the presence of functional rainwater harvesting structures each year when collecting building tax. A practical recommendation for homes is to install two separate water tanks—one exclusively for drinking and cooking, and another for all other domestic uses—to ensure that costly, treated water is reserved only for essential purposes.
Local self-government institutions are assigned a leading role in protecting water quality. The draft proposes regular water quality improvement programs and strict action against polluting activities in rivers, wells, and other water bodies. It also flags emerging contaminants like microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and antibiotics as serious new-age threats, recommending third-party inspections to ensure safety.
With agriculture accounting for roughly 70% of total water use, the policy warns that irrigation efficiency must be drastically improved. It clearly prioritizes water allocation: first for drinking and domestic needs, followed by food security, livelihoods, and ecosystems.
Learning from the extreme rainfall events of 2018 and 2019, the draft calls for a reassessment of dams and other hydraulic structures. It advocates for the expansion of water storage capacity—from enhancing soil moisture to optimizing reservoirs—and insists on climate-resilient design for all future infrastructure.
To steer this comprehensive overhaul, the state plans to form a dedicated task team under the additional chief secretary (water resources) to develop a detailed 10-year action plan. The policy also proposes a shift to river basin-based governance and the establishment of a water regulatory authority to set standards and settle disputes, ensuring a coordinated and sustainable approach to water management for the future.
