This Act provides for the conservation and regulation of the use of watercourses for the purpose of irrigation and the generation of electricity. All watercourses and water in watercourses shall be the property of the Government. The Government shall authorize the abstraction of water from watercourses, the construction of reservoirs or weir or any structure in or across any water course and the diversion of rivers. The Government shall also decide, in the interest of the general public, to construct an irrigation work of any kind on any land. Responsibility of the Government shall also be the alignment of any field channel, while the maintenance of field channels and the conveyance of water through them shall be the responsibility of the owners of the lands benefited by such channels. The Act further provides for the following matters: construction and maintenance of field channels; issuance of certificates for land benefited by irrigation works; water distribution rules; activities prohibited for the safeguard of irrigation works; authorization from the Government to form water users’ associations to promote and to secure distribution of water among its users and to incite water conservation, adequate maintenance of the irrigation system, efficient and economical utilisation of water to optimise agricultural production, etc.; establishment of the Kerala Dam Safety Authority for the surveillance and inspection of dams; penalties; etc.
India · 2003-01-01