Bhutan Water Policy 2025.

This Policy, as a multi-sectoral policy document at the national level for the period of 2014-2025, is formulated to implement Bhutan Water Vision 2025. The Water Vision states that water is the most important natural, economic and life-sustaining resource and we must ensure that it is available in abundance to meet the increasing demands. Present and future generations will have assured access to adequate, safe and affordable water to maintain and enhance the quality of their lives and the integrity of natural ecosystems. To achieve the Vision water must be used and managed sustainably, efficiently and equitably while preserving the environmental, social, cultural and economic value and use of water. To this end, all water users, planners and decision-makers shall be adequately informed, educated and encouraged to value and protect water in all its forms and uses. Realising the Vision requires the participation and involvement of all people in Bhutan working in a partnership mode within an enabling policy, legal and institutional environment. The Policy shall cover all forms of water resources including snow, glacier, rivers, lakes, streams, springs, wetlands, rainwater, soil moisture and groundwater.
Adequate water allocation to agriculture sector is indispensable for achieving overall national food security. Therefore, water allocation to the sector must be compatible with this national objective. A certain provision of water for consumption by domestic animals has to be made. In terms of water for drinking and sanitation, the Policy states that every individual has the right to safe, affordable and sufficient quantity of water for personal consumption and sanitation. The goal of the Royal Government shall be to provide universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation. While doing so, national standards for water quality shall be developed and followed. When water resources are not sufficient either in quantity or quality to meet every legitimate demand, water for drinking and sanitation for human survival shall be the primary priority. Water for irrigation, hydropower generation, industrial use, recreation, and other uses shall be considered based on national and local priorities.
The Policy recognizes that water is a precious natural resource and a heritage important to all aspects of social, economic and environmental wellbeing. Therefore, water resources must be carefully conserved and managed in order to promote national development without compromising the integrity of the natural ecosystem. Water resources development shall be carried out in an environmentally sustainable, economically feasible and socially acceptable manner. As agriculture production has the potential to pollute water resources through use of fertilizers and pesticides, efforts will be made to manage soil and pests without using excessive chemicals to avoid poll ution of water resources from non-point agricu lture sources. The role of the rivers as an aquatic habitat and as a source of food shall be recognised. Trans-boundary water issues shall be dealt in accordance with international laws and conventions to which Bhutan is a signatory.
Water support human sustenance and therefore has direct linkage to poverty. Recognizing this strong linkage, water related programs shall address poverty and offer people their right to respectable livelihoods.
Agriculture consumes the highest percentage of water in Bhutan. With population growth and increasing competition for water from other sub-sectors, it is imperative that higher efficiency ("more crop per drop") has to be achieved through adaptive and applied research. In order to address seasonal and local water shortages, other sources of water like groundwater and rainwater harvesting shall be promoted wherever feasible.
In terms of flood control and management, action plans and programmes shall be developed for monitoring, early warning of flood hazards and di saster management. Particular attention shall be given to threats from floods, including glacial lake outburst floods. Cooperation in information sharing and exchange, appropriate technology in water resources development and management, flood warning and disaster management shall be initiated at the national, regional and global levels.