"Southern Zonal Council meeting highlights inter-state water disputes and cooperative federalism"
Article 262
Constitutional provision empowering Parliament to adjudicate inter-state river disputes and bar court jurisdiction.
ISRWD Act, 1956
Statute providing for ad hoc tribunals to allocate inter-state river waters; tribunal awards have the force of law.
India's Constitution recognises water as a concurrent concern but places rivers and river valleys primarily under the Union List (Entry 56), allowing Parliament to regulate inter-state rivers in the national interest. Article 262 empowers Parliament to adjudicate inter-state water disputes and bar the jurisdiction of courts, including the Supreme Court. Under this authority, Parliament enacted the Inter-State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956, which provides for the constitution of ad hoc tribunals to allocate river waters among riparian states.
Beyond tribunals, the Constitution also created Zonal Councils under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 as advisory bodies to promote inter-state cooperation. India has five Zonal Councils — Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, and Central. The Southern Zonal Council covers Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and the Union Territories of Puducherry and Lakshadweep. These councils are chaired by the Union Home Minister and meet periodically to resolve shared concerns. They are advisory, not legislative, but serve as a structured platform for dialogue between the Union and states.
The southern region has historically been the site of some of India's most contentious water disputes — the Cauvery dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the Mullaperiyar dam dispute between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and the Godavari-Krishna allocation issues involving Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. These disputes persist because river water allocation intersects with agriculture, drinking water security, state finances, and electoral politics.
The ISRWD Act, 1956 provides the primary statutory mechanism for resolving inter-state water disputes. When a state government makes a request and the Union government is satisfied that negotiations have failed, it constitutes a tribunal. Tribunal awards are binding and have the force of law under Section 6 of the Act. However, implementation of awards has been a persistent problem. Tribunals take years — sometimes decades — to deliver awards, and even after awards, states often dispute interpretation, delay infrastructure construction, or seek Supreme Court review despite Article 262 restrictions.
The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, constituted in 1990, gave its final award only in 2007. The Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal, constituted in 2010, gave its award in 2018. In both cases, on-ground implementation lagged far behind the legal resolution. …
Consider the following statements:
1.36% of India's districts are classified as 'overexploited' or 'critical' by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).
2.CGWA was formed under the Environment (Protection) Act.
3.India has the largest area under groundwater irrigation in the world.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Which of the following practices can help in water conservation in agriculture?
1.Reduced or zero tillage of the land
2.Applying gypsum before irrigating the field
3.Allowing crop residue to remain in the field
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
With reference to Zonal Councils in India, consider the following statements:
1.They were established under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
2.They are chaired by the Union Home Minister.
3.Their decisions are binding on member states.
4.The Inter-State Council established under Article 263 is the same as a Zonal Council.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to Article 262 of the Indian Constitution, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1.It empowers Parliament to provide by law for the adjudication of disputes relating to waters of inter-state rivers.
2.It explicitly bars the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court over such disputes.
3.The Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 was enacted under the authority of this Article.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Consider the following pairs relating to inter-state water disputes in India:
1.Cauvery dispute — Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry
2.Mullaperiyar dam dispute — Kerala and Tamil Nadu
3.Mahadayi dispute — Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra
4.Godavari-Krishna allocation — Andhra Pradesh and Telangana only
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
With reference to the Inter-State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956, consider the following statements:
1.A tribunal can be constituted only after the Union government is satisfied that negotiations between states have failed.
2.Tribunal awards under Section 6 of the Act have the force of law.
3.States can appeal tribunal awards directly to the Supreme Court.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Want the full note, Prelims Facts & MCQ answers?
Create a free account — takes less than a minute.
Create free account