The State Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the framework for the conservation and management of river basins in Kerala.
The apex committee, the Kerala River Basin Conservation and Management Authority, will be chaired by the Chief Minister.
The panel will have as its members the Ministers for Water Resources, Industries, Revenue, Power, Forest, Finance, Local Self-Government, Agriculture, Environment, Fisheries, Public Works and Tourism, the Vice-Chairman of the State Planning Board, and the Chief Secretary. The Additional Chief Secretary (Water Resources) will be the convener.
The Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary (Water Resources) will head the steering committee and the technical committee respectively.
The authority is aimed at the overall improvement of water resources management in the State. The new framework is expected to usher in efficiency in the management of resources, stringent monitoring and assessment and a multidimensional administrative mechanism.
