Lok Sabha Question No. 1304 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-09
Subject: Water Tribunals
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Su Thirunavukkarasar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI,

## DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1304

## ANSWERED ON 09.02.2023

## WATER TRIBUNALS

## 1304. SHRI THIRUNAVUKKARASAR SU

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  a  number  of  water  tribunals  have  been  set  up  in  the  country  to  resolve  the  water  related disputes between the States;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the present status of the functioning of each of such tribunals;
- (c) whether the tenure of some of the water tribunals have been extended;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether it is also proposed to fix a minimum time frame to adjudicate such disputes and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI ( SHRI BISHWESWAR TUDU )

(a) to (d) For adjudication of disputes relating to waters of inter-State rivers and river valley thereof, the Parliament has enacted the Inter-State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956. When any request under the said Act is received from any State Government in respect of any water dispute on the inter-State rivers and the Central Government is of the opinion that the water dispute cannot be settled by negotiations, the Central Government constitutes a Water Disputes Tribunal for the adjudication of the water dispute. So far 9 water disputes Tribunals have been constituted to adjudicate inter-State River water disputes out of which 5 Tribunals have adjudicated the water disputes and subsequently these Tribunals have been dissolved. The details and status of the 5 dissolved tribunals are given at Annexure-I . The details and status of 4 active tribunals are given at Annexure-II.

- (e) In  the  ISRWD  Act,1956  as  amended,  time  limits  are  already  prescribed  for  different  stages  of adjudication of water disputes.

## ANNEXURE-I

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1304 ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 09.02.2023 REGARDING 'WATER TRIBUNALS' Details and Status of dissolved Inter-State Water Disputes Tribunals relating to the sharing of river water

|   S.No | Name of Tribunal                                           | States concerned                                               | Date of constitution                                                      | Present Status                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
|--------|------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|      1 | Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal                           | Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh &Odisha | 10 th April, 1969                                                         | Award given in July, 1980.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
|      2 | Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal -I Maharashtra, Karnataka, | Andhra Pradesh,                                                | 10 th April, 1969                                                         | Award given in May, 1976                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
|      3 | Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal                            | Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra             | 6 th October, 1969                                                        | Award given in December, 1979                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
|      4 | Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal                            | Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Puduchery                    | 2 nd June, 1990                                                           | Report and decision under section 5(2) of ISRWD Act given on 5.2.2007 and published vide Notification dated 19.2.2013. Pursuant to Supreme Court verdict dated 16.02.2018, the Tribunal has been dissolved vide Gazette Notification No. S.O. 3465(E) dated 16.07.2018. |
|      5 | Vansadhara Water Disputes Tribunal(VWDT)                   | Andhra Pradesh &Odisha                                         | 24 th February, 2010 Effective date of constitution 17 th September, 2012 | Reports under sec 5(2) & Final Award under sec 5(3) given on 13.09.2017 & 21.06.2021 respectively. Tribunal dissolved vide Notification dt 09.03.2022.                                                                                                                  |

## ANNEXURE-II

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1304 ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 09.02.2023 REGARDING 'WATER TRIBUNALS'

## Details  and  Status  of  active  Inter-State  Water  Disputes  Tribunals  relating  to  the  sharing  of  river water

|   S. No | Name Tribunal                          | of                  | States concerned                                     | Date of constitution                                                                                           | Present Status                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
|---------|----------------------------------------|---------------------|------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|       1 | Krishna Disputes -II(KWDT-II)          | Water Tribunal      | Karnataka, Telengana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra | April, 2004 (Effective date of Constitution is 01.02.2006)                                                     | Report and decision under secion 5(2) of ISRWD Act, 1956 was submitted on 30.12.2010 and Further report under section 5(3) was submitted by the Tribunal on 29.11.2013. However, as per Supreme Court Order dated 16.9.2011, till further order, the report and decision taken by the Tribunal on references filed by States and Central Government shall not be published in the official Gazette. Term of the Tribunal was extended for a period of two years w.e.f. 1 st August, 2014 to address the terms of reference as contained in section 89 of Andhra Pradesh Re- organisation Act, 2014. Thereafter, the term of the Tribunal has been extended seven times for period of one year latest being w.e.f. 01.08.2022. |
|       2 | Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal       | Odisha Chhattisgarh | and 12                                               | th March, 2018                                                                                                 | The Central Government has constituted Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal vide Notification dated 12.03.2018 and referred the water disputes to the Tribunal for adjudication. The Central Government, vide Notification dated 3rd June, 2021 has extended the tenure of the Tribunal for a period of two years upto 11th March, 2023 or till the submission of                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
|       3 | Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal(MWDT) | Goa, and            | Karnataka Maharashtra                                | 16 th November, 2010 However, notification dated 13.11.2014 date reckoning of constitution the Tribunal w.e.f. | report whichever is earlier. vide of the of is The MWDT submitted its report under Section 5(2) of the ISRWD Act, 1956 to the Central Government on 14.08.2018. Further references under Section 5(3) have been filed by the party States and by the Central Government before the Tribunal. The term of the Tribunal has been extended for a further period of one year w.e.f. 20.08.2022 vide Notification dated 21.07.2022 to submit its Further Report under Section 5(3) of                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |

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|    |                                  |                               | 21.08.2013   | ISRWD Act, 1956. The Central Government has notified the Award and Decision of the MWDT given under Section 5(2) on 14.08.2018 in the Gazette of India vide notification No. S.O. 888(E). dated 27.02.2020.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
|----|----------------------------------|-------------------------------|--------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  4 | Ravi & Beas Water Tribunal(RBWT) | Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan | April, 1986  | Report and decision under section 5(2) was submitted by Tribunal on 30.1.1987 which was forwarded to States on 20.05.1987. The Central Government forwarded its references and references received from party States to the Tribunal on 19.08.1987 for seeking Clarification/explanation from the Tribunal under Section 5(3) of the ISRWD Act, 1956 The Tribunal was being extended on yearly basis to submit its Further Report under Section 5(3) of the said Act. Current tenure of the Tribunal has been extended upto 05.08.2023 vide Gazette Notification dated 1st August, 2022. |

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