By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, August 21, 2019: Odisha has slipped from 9th rank in 2015-16 to 13th position in 2016-17 in the composite water management index (CWMI) released by the Niti Aayog.

The Water Resources department of the State has acknowledged the failure.

Niti Aayog’s CWMI ranks states based on 28 different indicators covering various aspects like ground water level, restoration of water bodies, sanitation, irrigation, farming practices, drinking water, policy and governance.

The state government has come for a rap from the BJP and the Congress after the drop in rankings. The opposition parties alleged that the State government’s failure in water management is a symbol of lack of interest towards the problem that the people here might face in the future.