Context

• On World Water Day (March 22, 2025), Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the necessity of collective action for water conservation, highlighting the importance of securing water resources for present and future generations.
• Coinciding with this, the Ministry of Jal Shakti launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain 2025, a campaign that underscores the need for community participation in water management.
• While such initiatives reflect a growing awareness of water-related challenges, a critical analysis of India's rural water policies reveals significant gaps that need urgent attention.

The Role of Communities in Water Management

• A fundamental issue in India’s water policies is the limited role of communities in decision-making processes.
• Indigenous and local communities possess valuable ecological knowledge, yet their participation in water governance remains superficial.
• Current policies largely focus on community involvement in the management of water sources, while decision-making power remains concentrated with state authorities.
• This restricts the ability of communities to implement their own traditional water conservation methods, leading to a top-down, one-size-fits-all approach that often disregards local environmental dynamics.
• For instance, Water User Associations (WUAs), introduced in various states since the 1990s, were designed to promote participatory irrigation management.
• However, while these associations give farmers the responsibility of managing irrigation sources, they lack real authority in shaping broader water policies.
• This limited autonomy reduces their effectiveness and highlights the need for a more decentralized and inclusive governance framework.

Key Issues in Water Governance and Solutions

• Addressing Water Vulnerability Among Marginalised Groups
  • Water policies must also consider the unequal impact of water crises on different social groups.
  • Subaltern and economically marginalised communities are disproportionately affected by environmental challenges.
  • This is particularly evident among groups that experience both social and economic marginalisation, as they often lack access to adequate water resources and infrastructure.
  • To create equitable water policies, it is essential to ensure the participation of vulnerable groups in water governance.
  • Recognising their agency and traditional knowledge can lead to more inclusive and sustainable water management systems.
  • A truly participatory approach should not only provide marginalised communities with a voice but also equip them with the necessary resources and support to actively shape water policies.
• Moving Beyond Fragmented Water Governance
  • A major challenge in India’s water management framework is the fragmentation of policies and governing bodies.
  • Currently, different aspects of the ecosystem, such as forests, land, water, and biodiversity, are governed by separate policies and authorities.
  • This siloed approach ignores the interdependent nature of these elements, leading to inefficiencies and unintended negative consequences.
  • A successful integrated approach can be seen in the traditional ecological practices of rural communities in western India.
  • A notable example is the establishment of orans, sacred forests that hold religious, cultural, and ecological significance.
  • Many communities use orans for water conservation, as they enhance tree and grass cover, which in turn traps surface runoff and supports rainwater harvesting.
  • This holistic understanding of ecosystem interdependence serves as a model for future water policies.
  • Instead of fragmented governance, India must adopt an integrated policy approach that recognizes the mutual relationship between water, land, forests, and biodiversity.
• Incorporating a More-Than-Human Perspective
  • Globally, environmental governance is shifting towards a more-than-human perspective, which acknowledges that nature has intrinsic value beyond human needs.
  • Many legal frameworks worldwide have started recognising the rights of nature, with courts developing jurisprudence that grants ecosystems legal protection.
  • However, India’s water policies remain anthropocentric, focusing exclusively on human water needs.
  • Interestingly, certain rural communities in India have already embraced a more-than-human approach in their water governance.
  • For example, in some regions of western India, irrigation practices are adjusted based on the availability of water for animals, ensuring that ecosystem health is prioritised.
  • India’s formal water policies should learn from these community-led practices and incorporate legal frameworks that protect natural water bodies as living entities rather than mere resources for human consumption.

The Climate Change Imperative

• Climate change poses a significant threat to India’s water security. A recent study in Nature predicts that India’s water gap will widen as global temperatures rise.
• Given this alarming projection, water policies must prioritise climate resilience by:
  • Developing climate-resilient water systems that can withstand erratic rainfall patterns and extreme weather events.
  • Enhancing the resilience of existing water infrastructure to prevent water shortages and depletion.
  • Integrating climate adaptation policies that focus on ecosystem restoration to reduce the impact of droughts and floods.
• For instance, India must promote traditional rainwater harvesting techniques, such as stepwells and check dams, while simultaneously leveraging modern innovations like smart irrigation systems and climate-responsive water storage facilities.

The Way Forward: Beyond Rhetoric, A Call for Action

• While current policies emphasise community participation, they often fall short in practical implementation.
• Rural water policies must move beyond symbolic engagement and ensure that local voices play a central role in shaping decision-making processes.
• At the same time, it is crucial to acknowledge that traditional community practices may have certain limitations.
• Addressing these requires capacity-building initiatives and sensitization programs to equip communities with the latest scientific knowledge and technology without undermining their ecological wisdom.

Conclusion

• India’s water policies must undergo a fundamental shift to align with contemporary environmental challenges.
• This requires empowering communities, addressing social vulnerabilities, adopting integrated ecosystem-based governance, and ensuring climate resilience.
• Moreover, policymakers must incorporate a more-than-human perspective, recognizing that water conservation is not just a human concern but a broader ecological necessity.
• By creating genuine community participation and moving beyond fragmented governance, India can create a sustainable and equitable water management framework that serves both present and future generations.