9th India International Water Week 2026 Opens in New Delhi

The 9th India International Water Week was inaugurated on 22 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi by Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan. Organised by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the edition runs from 22 to 26 September 2026 on the theme "Climate Resilient Water Management". It brings together central ministries, States and Union Territories, partner countries, industry, researchers and young professionals across 49 sessions and a four-day exhibition. For exams, the theme, the host ministry, the venue and the edition number are the high-yield facts.

What Happened

Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan inaugurated the 9th India International Water Week on 22 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The five-day event is India's flagship global water gathering and is organised by the Ministry of Jal Shakti. Speaking at the opening, the Vice-President said that no single institution, sector or State can address water challenges in isolation, and called for integrated management covering river-basin management, groundwater recharge, rainwater harvesting and efficient irrigation.

When & Where

The event runs from 22 to 26 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, the convention complex that hosts India's largest international conferences. Holding the water week in late September places it immediately after the south-west monsoon season, when reservoir storage, recharge and flood data for the year are freshly available for discussion.

Who Is Involved

Ministry of Jal Shakti: the organising ministry for the event, with Union Minister C. R. Patil having launched this edition earlier in 2026.
Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan: inaugurated the 2026 edition.
Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation: the two departments of the ministry involved in organising.
Central Water Commission, National Water Development Agency and National Water Mission: technical bodies associated with the organisation of the event.
Participants: central ministries and departments, States and Union Territories, partner countries, international organisations, industry, civil society, researchers and young professionals.

How It Works

A themed edition. Each edition is built around a single theme, this time "Climate Resilient Water Management", which shapes the session list and the exhibition content.
Layered forums. The programme is split into a Ministerial Plenary for political decisions, a Global Water Leaders' Plenary and Water Leaders' Forum for institutional heads, and a Practitioners' Forum for field-level experience.
Country and thematic tracks. A Country Forum lets partner countries present national approaches, while Thematic Forums take up specific subjects across the 49 planned sessions.
Youth and start-up tracks. A Youth Forum and a Start-up Forum bring new entrants and technology firms into a sector normally dominated by large public agencies.
Exhibition as a marketplace. A four-day exhibition runs alongside the sessions so that technology suppliers, State agencies and buyers meet in one place.

Why It Matters

Environmental angle: climate resilience in water means planning for both floods and droughts in the same basin, which is the central water challenge of the coming decades.
Federal angle: water is largely a State subject, so a platform that brings all States and Union Territories together with the Union ministry is one of the few places where a national conversation can happen.
Economic angle: irrigation, industry and drinking water compete for the same resource, and technology exhibited at such events shapes procurement by State agencies.
Diplomatic angle: with about 150 countries invited and 11 expected as partner countries, the event is also a soft-power platform for India's water expertise.

Historical Background

India Water Week began as a periodic national platform organised by the water resources establishment and has grown into an international event with partner countries and a large exhibition. Successive editions have tracked the shift in Indian water policy from construction of storage and canal systems towards demand management, groundwater recharge, river rejuvenation and sanitation. The creation of the Ministry of Jal Shakti brought water resources, river development, Ganga rejuvenation, drinking water and sanitation under one ministry, and the event now reflects that wider mandate. The 2026 edition, the ninth, was launched by the Union Minister of Jal Shakti earlier in the year before opening in September.

Previous Related Events

2026: the Union Minister of Jal Shakti launched the 9th India International Water Week ahead of the September event.
Earlier editions: the 8th India Water Week was held before this edition, continuing the series of national water conclaves.
Ongoing programmes: national missions on drinking water, groundwater and river rejuvenation have supplied the policy content discussed at successive editions.

Static GK Connection

Water in the Constitution: water supply, irrigation, canals, drainage and water storage fall under Entry 17 of the State List, while the regulation of inter-State rivers and river valleys in the public interest falls under Entry 56 of the Union List.
Article 262: Parliament may by law provide for the adjudication of disputes relating to waters of inter-State rivers, and may bar the jurisdiction of courts in such disputes.
Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956: the statute enacted under this constitutional scheme for setting up tribunals to decide river water disputes.
Central Water Commission: the apex technical organisation in the country for water resources, attached to the water resources department.
Groundwater recharge: the process by which surface water percolates to aquifers; artificial recharge structures are built to speed it up where extraction exceeds natural replenishment.

India & World Comparison

India is among the largest users of water for agriculture in the world, and its dependence on groundwater for irrigation is unusually high compared with countries that rely mainly on surface canals. Where many developed countries manage water through basin-level regulators with pricing powers, India manages it mainly through State governments and centrally sponsored missions, which is why a national convening platform matters more here. Internationally, water weeks and water forums are an established format, with similar conclaves held in other countries and by global bodies; India's edition is positioned as a South-facing platform, with about 150 countries invited and a Country Forum built into the programme. The comparison to draw in an answer is institutional rather than numerical: India's challenge is coordination across a federal structure, not the absence of technical capacity.

Future Impact

The sessions held between 22 and 26 September 2026 feed into the policy agenda of the Ministry of Jal Shakti for the following year.
Partner-country participation can turn into bilateral technical cooperation on basin management and water treatment.
The Start-up Forum creates a procurement channel for water technology firms with State agencies.
The theme of climate resilience is likely to shape the design criteria for future water infrastructure projects.
Outcomes discussed at the edition will be measured against the next India International Water Week.

🔑 Key Points for Revision

The 9th India International Water Week was inaugurated on 22 September 2026.
Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan inaugurated it.
The theme is Climate Resilient Water Management.
The venue is Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
The event runs from 22 to 26 September 2026.
The Ministry of Jal Shakti is the organiser.
Union Minister C. R. Patil launched this edition earlier in 2026.
A total of 49 sessions were planned.
The programme includes a Ministerial Plenary and a Global Water Leaders' Plenary.
It also includes Youth Forum and Start-up Forum tracks.
About 150 countries were invited to the event.
11 countries were expected to take part as partner countries.
All 84 central ministries and departments were expected to join.
All 36 States and Union Territories were expected to join.
Water supply and irrigation fall under Entry 17 of the State List.

🧠 Concept Link (Static GK Deep Dive)

Core Concept: Water governance in the Indian federal system

Definition: water governance is the set of institutions and rules that decide who gets water, how much, at what price and with what responsibility for quality.
Constitutional / Legal Basis: Entry 17 of the State List covers water supply, irrigation and canals; Entry 56 of the Union List covers regulation of inter-State rivers in the public interest; Article 262 allows Parliament to provide for adjudication of inter-State river water disputes.
Economic principle: water is a common-pool resource, so open access to groundwater leads to over-extraction unless collective rules are enforced.
Link to this event: a national water week is the coordination device that a federal structure needs when the resource crosses State boundaries but the powers do not.
Origin & History: the constitutional division of water powers dates to the framing of the Constitution, with inter-State disputes given a separate route from the ordinary courts.
Key milestone 1: the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act was enacted in 1956 to set up tribunals for river disputes.
Key milestone 2: the River Boards Act was also enacted in 1956 to allow the Centre to set up boards for inter-State rivers.
Related Acts / Schemes / Treaties: national missions on drinking water supply, groundwater management and river rejuvenation run by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Nodal Ministry / Body: the Ministry of Jal Shakti, with the Central Water Commission as the apex technical body for water resources.
India-specific relevance: most Indian irrigation now draws on groundwater, which makes recharge and extraction rules the decisive policy lever.
Global comparison: many countries regulate at the level of the river basin through a single authority; India's basin institutions sit alongside strong State departments.
Data point: the 2026 edition planned 49 sessions and invited about 150 countries.
Common exam angle: examiners ask which List water falls under, which Article deals with inter-State river water disputes, and which ministry is the nodal ministry.
Easy memory hook: "17 State, 56 Union, 262 dispute" — the three constitutional handles on water.

❓ Practice MCQs

Q1. The 9th India International Water Week 2026 was inaugurated at which venue? [Easy]

A) Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi

B) Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi

C) India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

D) Yashobhoomi, Dwarka

Answer: B

Explanation: The edition was inaugurated on 22 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

Q2. What is the theme of the 9th India International Water Week? [Easy]

A) Water for Shared Prosperity

B) Water Security for All

C) Climate Resilient Water Management

D) Rivers, Recharge and Resilience

Answer: C

Explanation: The 2026 edition was organised on the theme Climate Resilient Water Management.

Q3. Which ministry organises the India International Water Week? [Moderate]

A) Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

B) Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare

C) Ministry of Earth Sciences

D) Ministry of Jal Shakti

Answer: D

Explanation: The Ministry of Jal Shakti organises the event, through its water resources and drinking water departments.

Q4. Water supply, irrigation and canals appear in which List of the Seventh Schedule? [Moderate]

A) State List

B) Union List

C) Concurrent List

D) Residuary powers of Parliament

Answer: A

Explanation: Entry 17 of the State List covers water supply, irrigation, canals, drainage and water storage.

Q5. The 9th India International Water Week was held over which dates? [Moderate]

A) 15 to 19 September 2026

B) 22 to 26 September 2026

C) 1 to 5 October 2026

D) 20 to 24 September 2026

Answer: B

Explanation: The edition ran from 22 to 26 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam.

Q6. Which constitutional provision deals with the adjudication of disputes relating to waters of inter-State rivers? [Tricky]

A) Article 252

B) Article 256

C) Article 262

D) Article 263

Answer: C

Explanation: Article 262 empowers Parliament to provide by law for adjudication of inter-State river water disputes and to exclude the jurisdiction of courts.

Q7. Consider the organising structure of the event. Which of the following was part of the programme? [Tricky]

A) Only a ministerial plenary, with no other sessions

B) A Ministerial Plenary, a Global Water Leaders' Plenary, and Youth and Start-up Forums

C) A closed-door meeting of State irrigation secretaries alone

D) A single exhibition with no conference sessions

Answer: B

Explanation: The programme included a Ministerial Plenary, a Global Water Leaders' Plenary, and dedicated Youth and Start-up Forums among 49 planned sessions.

Q8. Which statement about India's constitutional scheme on water is correct? [Tricky]

A) Water is exclusively a Union subject

B) Water is exclusively a Concurrent subject

C) Water is largely a State subject, while regulation of inter-State rivers in the public interest is a Union entry

D) Water is not mentioned in the Seventh Schedule at all

Answer: C

Explanation: Entry 17 of the State List covers water generally, while Entry 56 of the Union List covers regulation of inter-State rivers and river valleys in the public interest.

📜 Previous Year Question Style (PYQ)

PYQ 1:

The India International Water Week 2026 was inaugurated by which of the following?

A) The President of India

B) The Vice-President of India

C) The Chief Justice of India

D) The Speaker of the Lok Sabha

Answer: B

Explanation: Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan inaugurated the 9th edition on 22 September 2026.

PYQ 2:

Consider the following statements:

The 9th India International Water Week was held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
Its theme was Climate Resilient Water Management.
It was organised by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

A) 1 only

B) 1 and 2 only

C) 2 and 3 only

D) All of the above

Answer: D

Explanation: All three are correct: the venue was Bharat Mandapam, the theme was Climate Resilient Water Management, and the Ministry of Jal Shakti organised it.

PYQ 3:

Match the following:

Entry 17 of the State List — a. Regulation of inter-State rivers in the public interest
Entry 56 of the Union List — b. Adjudication of inter-State river water disputes
Article 262 — c. Water supply, irrigation and canals

A) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b

B) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c

C) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a

D) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a

Answer: A

Explanation: Entry 17 covers water supply and irrigation, Entry 56 covers regulation of inter-State rivers, and Article 262 provides for adjudication of inter-State river water disputes.

✍️ Mains Answer Pointers

Question 1 (150 words): What is the significance of a national convening platform such as the India International Water Week in a federal system where water is largely a State subject?

Its significance lies in solving a coordination problem that the Constitution itself creates. Water supply, irrigation and canals sit in Entry 17 of the State List, while rivers cross State boundaries, so no State can manage its own water without affecting another. A national platform is one of the few settings where the Union ministry, all States and Union Territories, and technical bodies sit in the same room.

The 9th edition, inaugurated on 22 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, shows the design. Its 49 planned sessions separate political decisions, institutional leadership and field practice, and the programme adds Youth and Start-up Forums so that new entrants reach public buyers.

Convening, however, is not regulation. The platform can align thinking and spread technology, but basin-level rules still require statutory instruments. The way forward is to convert the themes agreed here into enforceable basin plans.

Question 2 (250 words): Discuss the constitutional and institutional framework of water governance in India and the challenges of building climate resilience within it.

The framework begins with the Seventh Schedule. Entry 17 of the State List gives States water supply, irrigation, canals, drainage and water storage. Entry 56 of the Union List gives Parliament the regulation and development of inter-State rivers and river valleys to the extent declared by law to be in the public interest. Article 262 sits alongside these, allowing Parliament to provide for adjudication of inter-State river water disputes and to bar the jurisdiction of courts. The Inter-State River Water Disputes Act of 1956 and the River Boards Act of the same year were enacted within this scheme.

Institutionally, the Ministry of Jal Shakti brings water resources, river rejuvenation, drinking water and sanitation together at the Union level, with the Central Water Commission as the apex technical body. States retain their own irrigation and public health engineering departments, and groundwater, the main source of irrigation today, is largely extracted by individual users rather than allocated by an agency.

Climate resilience strains this architecture in three ways. First, a single basin may face both flood and drought in one year, so infrastructure designed for historic averages underperforms. Second, resilience needs basin-scale decisions while powers and budgets remain State-scale. Third, groundwater recharge depends on countless private decisions that no single authority controls.

Platforms such as the 9th India International Water Week, opened on 22 September 2026 on the theme Climate Resilient Water Management, respond to the coordination gap rather than the legal one.

The way forward is to pair such convening with basin-level plans that carry statutory force.

⚠️ Examiner Trap

Trap 1: Students confuse Article 262 with Article 263. The correct fact is that Article 262 deals with adjudication of inter-State river water disputes, while Article 263 deals with the Inter-State Council.
Trap 2: A common wrong assumption is that water is a Union subject. The reality is that water is largely a State subject under Entry 17 of the State List, with only the regulation of inter-State rivers in the public interest placed in the Union List.
Trap 3: Many students miss the edition number and the theme together. Always remember that the 2026 event was the 9th India International Water Week and its theme was Climate Resilient Water Management.

9th India International Water Week 2026 Opens in New Delhi

What Happened

When & Where

Who Is Involved

Ministry of Jal Shakti: the organising ministry for the event, with Union Minister C. R. Patil having launched this edition earlier in 2026.
Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan: inaugurated the 2026 edition.
Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation: the two departments of the ministry involved in organising.
Central Water Commission, National Water Development Agency and National Water Mission: technical bodies associated with the organisation of the event.
Participants: central ministries and departments, States and Union Territories, partner countries, international organisations, industry, civil society, researchers and young professionals.

How It Works

A themed edition. Each edition is built around a single theme, this time "Climate Resilient Water Management", which shapes the session list and the exhibition content.
Layered forums. The programme is split into a Ministerial Plenary for political decisions, a Global Water Leaders' Plenary and Water Leaders' Forum for institutional heads, and a Practitioners' Forum for field-level experience.
Country and thematic tracks. A Country Forum lets partner countries present national approaches, while Thematic Forums take up specific subjects across the 49 planned sessions.
Youth and start-up tracks. A Youth Forum and a Start-up Forum bring new entrants and technology firms into a sector normally dominated by large public agencies.
Exhibition as a marketplace. A four-day exhibition runs alongside the sessions so that technology suppliers, State agencies and buyers meet in one place.

Why It Matters

Environmental angle: climate resilience in water means planning for both floods and droughts in the same basin, which is the central water challenge of the coming decades.
Federal angle: water is largely a State subject, so a platform that brings all States and Union Territories together with the Union ministry is one of the few places where a national conversation can happen.
Economic angle: irrigation, industry and drinking water compete for the same resource, and technology exhibited at such events shapes procurement by State agencies.
Diplomatic angle: with about 150 countries invited and 11 expected as partner countries, the event is also a soft-power platform for India's water expertise.

Historical Background

Previous Related Events

2026: the Union Minister of Jal Shakti launched the 9th India International Water Week ahead of the September event.
Earlier editions: the 8th India Water Week was held before this edition, continuing the series of national water conclaves.
Ongoing programmes: national missions on drinking water, groundwater and river rejuvenation have supplied the policy content discussed at successive editions.

Static GK Connection

Water in the Constitution: water supply, irrigation, canals, drainage and water storage fall under Entry 17 of the State List, while the regulation of inter-State rivers and river valleys in the public interest falls under Entry 56 of the Union List.
Article 262: Parliament may by law provide for the adjudication of disputes relating to waters of inter-State rivers, and may bar the jurisdiction of courts in such disputes.
Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956: the statute enacted under this constitutional scheme for setting up tribunals to decide river water disputes.
Central Water Commission: the apex technical organisation in the country for water resources, attached to the water resources department.
Groundwater recharge: the process by which surface water percolates to aquifers; artificial recharge structures are built to speed it up where extraction exceeds natural replenishment.

India & World Comparison

Future Impact

The sessions held between 22 and 26 September 2026 feed into the policy agenda of the Ministry of Jal Shakti for the following year.
Partner-country participation can turn into bilateral technical cooperation on basin management and water treatment.
The Start-up Forum creates a procurement channel for water technology firms with State agencies.
The theme of climate resilience is likely to shape the design criteria for future water infrastructure projects.
Outcomes discussed at the edition will be measured against the next India International Water Week.

🔑 Key Points for Revision

The 9th India International Water Week was inaugurated on 22 September 2026.
Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan inaugurated it.
The theme is Climate Resilient Water Management.
The venue is Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
The event runs from 22 to 26 September 2026.
The Ministry of Jal Shakti is the organiser.
Union Minister C. R. Patil launched this edition earlier in 2026.
A total of 49 sessions were planned.
The programme includes a Ministerial Plenary and a Global Water Leaders' Plenary.
It also includes Youth Forum and Start-up Forum tracks.
About 150 countries were invited to the event.
11 countries were expected to take part as partner countries.
All 84 central ministries and departments were expected to join.
All 36 States and Union Territories were expected to join.
Water supply and irrigation fall under Entry 17 of the State List.

🧠 Concept Link (Static GK Deep Dive)

Core Concept: Water governance in the Indian federal system

Definition: water governance is the set of institutions and rules that decide who gets water, how much, at what price and with what responsibility for quality.
Constitutional / Legal Basis: Entry 17 of the State List covers water supply, irrigation and canals; Entry 56 of the Union List covers regulation of inter-State rivers in the public interest; Article 262 allows Parliament to provide for adjudication of inter-State river water disputes.
Economic principle: water is a common-pool resource, so open access to groundwater leads to over-extraction unless collective rules are enforced.
Link to this event: a national water week is the coordination device that a federal structure needs when the resource crosses State boundaries but the powers do not.
Origin & History: the constitutional division of water powers dates to the framing of the Constitution, with inter-State disputes given a separate route from the ordinary courts.
Key milestone 1: the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act was enacted in 1956 to set up tribunals for river disputes.
Key milestone 2: the River Boards Act was also enacted in 1956 to allow the Centre to set up boards for inter-State rivers.
Related Acts / Schemes / Treaties: national missions on drinking water supply, groundwater management and river rejuvenation run by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Nodal Ministry / Body: the Ministry of Jal Shakti, with the Central Water Commission as the apex technical body for water resources.
India-specific relevance: most Indian irrigation now draws on groundwater, which makes recharge and extraction rules the decisive policy lever.
Global comparison: many countries regulate at the level of the river basin through a single authority; India's basin institutions sit alongside strong State departments.
Data point: the 2026 edition planned 49 sessions and invited about 150 countries.
Common exam angle: examiners ask which List water falls under, which Article deals with inter-State river water disputes, and which ministry is the nodal ministry.
Easy memory hook: "17 State, 56 Union, 262 dispute" — the three constitutional handles on water.

❓ Practice MCQs

Q1. The 9th India International Water Week 2026 was inaugurated at which venue? [Easy]

A) Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi

B) Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi

C) India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

D) Yashobhoomi, Dwarka

Answer: B

Explanation: The edition was inaugurated on 22 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

Q2. What is the theme of the 9th India International Water Week? [Easy]

A) Water for Shared Prosperity

B) Water Security for All

C) Climate Resilient Water Management

D) Rivers, Recharge and Resilience

Answer: C

Explanation: The 2026 edition was organised on the theme Climate Resilient Water Management.

Q3. Which ministry organises the India International Water Week? [Moderate]

A) Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

B) Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare

C) Ministry of Earth Sciences

D) Ministry of Jal Shakti

Answer: D

Explanation: The Ministry of Jal Shakti organises the event, through its water resources and drinking water departments.

Q4. Water supply, irrigation and canals appear in which List of the Seventh Schedule? [Moderate]

A) State List

B) Union List

C) Concurrent List

D) Residuary powers of Parliament

Answer: A

Explanation: Entry 17 of the State List covers water supply, irrigation, canals, drainage and water storage.

Q5. The 9th India International Water Week was held over which dates? [Moderate]

A) 15 to 19 September 2026

B) 22 to 26 September 2026

C) 1 to 5 October 2026

D) 20 to 24 September 2026

Answer: B

Explanation: The edition ran from 22 to 26 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam.

Q6. Which constitutional provision deals with the adjudication of disputes relating to waters of inter-State rivers? [Tricky]

A) Article 252

B) Article 256

C) Article 262

D) Article 263

Answer: C

Explanation: Article 262 empowers Parliament to provide by law for adjudication of inter-State river water disputes and to exclude the jurisdiction of courts.

Q7. Consider the organising structure of the event. Which of the following was part of the programme? [Tricky]

A) Only a ministerial plenary, with no other sessions

B) A Ministerial Plenary, a Global Water Leaders' Plenary, and Youth and Start-up Forums

C) A closed-door meeting of State irrigation secretaries alone

D) A single exhibition with no conference sessions

Answer: B

Explanation: The programme included a Ministerial Plenary, a Global Water Leaders' Plenary, and dedicated Youth and Start-up Forums among 49 planned sessions.

Q8. Which statement about India's constitutional scheme on water is correct? [Tricky]

A) Water is exclusively a Union subject

B) Water is exclusively a Concurrent subject

C) Water is largely a State subject, while regulation of inter-State rivers in the public interest is a Union entry

D) Water is not mentioned in the Seventh Schedule at all

Answer: C

Explanation: Entry 17 of the State List covers water generally, while Entry 56 of the Union List covers regulation of inter-State rivers and river valleys in the public interest.

📜 Previous Year Question Style (PYQ)

PYQ 1:

The India International Water Week 2026 was inaugurated by which of the following?

A) The President of India

B) The Vice-President of India

C) The Chief Justice of India

D) The Speaker of the Lok Sabha

Answer: B

Explanation: Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan inaugurated the 9th edition on 22 September 2026.

PYQ 2:

Consider the following statements:

The 9th India International Water Week was held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
Its theme was Climate Resilient Water Management.
It was organised by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

A) 1 only

B) 1 and 2 only

C) 2 and 3 only

D) All of the above

Answer: D

Explanation: All three are correct: the venue was Bharat Mandapam, the theme was Climate Resilient Water Management, and the Ministry of Jal Shakti organised it.

PYQ 3:

Match the following:

Entry 17 of the State List — a. Regulation of inter-State rivers in the public interest
Entry 56 of the Union List — b. Adjudication of inter-State river water disputes
Article 262 — c. Water supply, irrigation and canals

A) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b

B) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c

C) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a

D) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a

Answer: A

Explanation: Entry 17 covers water supply and irrigation, Entry 56 covers regulation of inter-State rivers, and Article 262 provides for adjudication of inter-State river water disputes.

✍️ Mains Answer Pointers

Question 1 (150 words): What is the significance of a national convening platform such as the India International Water Week in a federal system where water is largely a State subject?

Question 2 (250 words): Discuss the constitutional and institutional framework of water governance in India and the challenges of building climate resilience within it.

Platforms such as the 9th India International Water Week, opened on 22 September 2026 on the theme Climate Resilient Water Management, respond to the coordination gap rather than the legal one.

The way forward is to pair such convening with basin-level plans that carry statutory force.

⚠️ Examiner Trap

Trap 1: Students confuse Article 262 with Article 263. The correct fact is that Article 262 deals with adjudication of inter-State river water disputes, while Article 263 deals with the Inter-State Council.
Trap 2: A common wrong assumption is that water is a Union subject. The reality is that water is largely a State subject under Entry 17 of the State List, with only the regulation of inter-State rivers in the public interest placed in the Union List.
Trap 3: Many students miss the edition number and the theme together. Always remember that the 2026 event was the 9th India International Water Week and its theme was Climate Resilient Water Management.