Chapter III POWER, FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION

The powers, functions and duties of the Commission shall be as under: (1) (a) To determine the water requirement for various categories of users (such as irrigation, municipal/rural drinking water/industry etc.) on a yearly/ season basis. (b) To determine the requirement of irrigation water for the various levels of Farmers Organizations (namely, Project Committee, Distributary Committee and Water User Association) based on the cropping pattern approved by the project authorities on a yearly/season basis and implement the same. (2) (a) To determine the adequate operation and maintenance (O&M) cost of irrigation/multipurpose water projects, (b) The State shall ensure provisions for full operation and maintenance requirements of such projects as determined by the Commission, through an appropriate budgetary support, to ensure that the quality of the service delivery is not allowed to suffer for want of systems Operation and Maintenance needs. (3) To promote efficient management of irrigation water: (a) Providing Guidelines/Procedures/ modalities for plough back of operation and maintenance amount to the farmers organizations for the operation and maintenance of the irrigation systems as well as standards of services, (b) Monitoring the technical standards for operation and maintenance, cyclical repairs and minimum rehabilitation of irrigation system, (c) Ensure that the principle of "tail to head" irrigation is implemented by the project authorities. (4) To promote efficient use of water resources and minimizing wastage of water by: (a) Fixing and monitoring implementation of stipulated quality standards for management of water resources by various water users/ departments and recommend actions against violations. (b) Fixing and monitoring implementation of stipulated quality standards for the services to be provided by various water resources service providers and recommend actions against violations, (c) Fixing and monitoring implementation of stipulated quality standards for disposal of waste water by various water users and recommend actions against violations, (d) Fixing and monitoring implementation of stipulated standards for protection of all water resources in the State including pollution, (e) Supporting and aiding enhancement and preservation of water quality within the State in close coordination with the relevant State Agencies and in doing so following the principle that "the person who pollutes shall pay". (5) To ensure publication of an annual report containing following information by project authorities: (a) Irrigation status containing all statistical data relating to irrigation including details of the project wise irrigation potential and its actual utilization, water user efficiency and productivity relating to the projects. (b) Benchmarking of irrigation/ multipurpose water projects to identify projects with best management practices for emulation by other projects. (c) Water Audit or Irrigation/ multipurpose water projects giving a systematic and scientific water account of the projects. (6) (a) The Commission shall devise a suitable mechanism for financial incentives/disincentives to the farmer's organizations and other water users for ensuring delivery of services to their members as per the determination. (b) The Commission shall in case of non-compliance of the specific directions in discharge of the powers under this Act, recommend to the Government suitable disciplinary action against such Government officials. (7) To perform any other powers, functions and duties as assigned to the commission by the State Government by notification.

The Commission shall work according to the framework of the State Water Policy and other existing laws of the state.