A Preliminary Assessment of Water Institutions in India: An Institutional Design Perspective (original) (raw)

Institutional Structure, Participation, and Devolution in Water Institutions of Eastern India

Water

The paper examines the nature and development of the participatory water institutions in the eastern Indo-Gangetic plains of India, focusing on the aspects of structure, participation, and devolution. Though the physical development of irrigation has made considerable progress in India, the proper management and distribution of water has poised many difficulties. The consequences of this are poor efficiency in water use, inequity in distribution, disputes, high cost, and substantial under-utilization of the potential created. On the other hand, institutional initiatives that aim to improve water management and distribution are seen in some areas/locations, and show a process of arriving at better institutional arrangements. Water institutions are crucial for eastern India and though there are a few examples of spontaneous bottom-up initiatives, much of this development is driven by external interventions including laws, policies, and government programs. Even though under the govern...

Enhancing Performance of Participatory Water Institutions in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains: What Can We Learn from New Institutional Economics and Governance Theories?

Water, 2019

The paper examines the performance of participatory water institutions in India’s Eastern Indo-Gangetic plains region using new institutional economics and management governance fundamentals. Water institutions are of great importance for water resource management in India’s Eastern Indo-Gangetic plains since the region has relatively abundant water but lags behind significantly in economic development and growth with a high incidence of poverty. Engineering solutions to water management have been implemented but have not given good results principally because of weak institutional development and design in the region. Effective and efficient participatory water institutions are urgently needed. The research uses concepts from new institutional economics and management governance theory to build a conceptual framework for explaining the performance of participatory water institutions. The framework identifies eight institutional rationalities: technical, environmental, economic, soc...

Rout, Satyapriya. 2008. ‘Institutional Reforms in Water Sector: A Cross Country Perspective from South Asia’. International Journal of South Asian Studies, Vol. 1 (2): 236 – 55.

International journal of south Asian studies, 2009

The paper investigates the water sector institutional reforms in South Asia, by way of analyzing the trends, patterns, directions and implications of such reforms, with insights from the water sector of three major South Asian countries, i.e. Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. The paper sets a ground for institutional arrangements in water sector, and provides an analytical framework for analyzing water institutions. In the conclusion, the paper highlights certain common trends in policy reforms in south Asian region in water sector, such as i) change in perspective from water resource development to water resource management, ii) emphasis on farmer’s participation in water management through decentralized institutional structure, iii) establishment of water rights , iv) change from sectoral to integrated approach in water management, v) role of internal donor agencies in heralding the institutional changes.

Agents of institutional change: The contribution of new institutionalism in understanding water governance in India

Research Article, 2015

To steer the socio-political process of water management towards a desired institutional change, scholars have adopted distinctive approaches focusing either on deliberate ‘designing’ of institutions or by emphasizing on the ability of agents to craft institutions. Applying ecological institutionalism as an overarching framework, the paper takes a complementary perspective of designing and crafting by heuristically examining the agents and their negotiation of power as linked with the institutions through an ethnographic method of long-time observation. By focusing on agents in their everyday practice of water management, the paper identifies five different types of agents – goal-oriented agents, agents maintaining positions, opportunistic, reactive, and supportive agents. These agents integrate institutions through historic specificity and rationality to enter the decisionmaking arena, and use their logic of action to display their power to bring about institutional change. They play a crucial role that underpins effective trajectories of policy development and implementation. Applying new institutionalism offers insights into three significant areas of water management – significant role of institutions, ability of agents to integrate multilayered institutions, and diverse forms of power displayed in the arenas. These three elements help us to better comprehend the complementary between designing and crafting of institutions to facilitate desired change.

An Analysis of Water Governance in India- Problems and Remedies-IJAERDV04I0953541.pdf

The availability of water is a basic element to human life, economy and political strength of any country and thus sustainable water management is vital for national development. Administering water and achieving Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) for sustainable use and economic development is both a technological and a governance test. The competence to make these changes, therefore, depends on transformation in water governance. This study seeks to analyze the existing mechanism of Water administration at center and state level, the constitutional status of water, draft National Water Framework Bill – 2016 and National Water Policy – 2012, and the judgments of High courts and Supreme Court of India to draw meaningful inferences. Results reveal that the country has a good administrative set-up to deal with the water resources sector but owing to present day needs the constitutional status of water must change. The legal status of Right to Water can have an immense impact on the way this precious resource is being governed. It is, therefore, necessary that the central government by means of Constitutional amendment explicitly incorporates Right to Water as Fundamental Right of every citizen and also includes the water in either the Union List (List-I) or the Concurrent List (List-III). The Laws framed by the center ought to be mandatory for states and not recommendatory. The policies of the state shall not only focus on regulations, licences, restrictions, and penalties but also on knowledge dissemination to help, guide, influence and coordinate the public water use. Public and stakeholders’ participation at all levels ought to be made integral to all water administration

Water Governance and Management in India: Issues and Perspectives, Volume 1

Water Governance and Management in India, 2019

A large part of India is naturally prone to drought. Unfortunately, droughts have now becomemore frequent due to development interventions, deforestation and climate change. Drought is insidious and affects millions. It disrupts the social fabric and affects economic and social development in ways that are inter-generational, miring those affected in a perpetual cycle of poverty. It affects health and nutrition, education, food security and creates a climate for continuation of social evils. There are government mechanisms and institutions in place to deal with droughts, yet over the years, evidence indicates that clearly much more needs to be done. There are examples of communities successfully drought proofing their villages through afforestation, rainwater harvesting and judicious use of water. Such efforts need to be scaled up through linkage with government resources. Addressing drought can no longer be ignored, given the water crisis that the country faces as it stares at an e...