Managing Water Resources in India: A Synoptic Review

his review paper attempts to bring together various issues in the light of recent developments in the irrigation sector management in India. The paper emphasises the need for an integrated approach for water management and governance. Different governance structures are in operation depending on the nature of the water source. For, surface water mostly comes under state ownership/management while groundwater is managed mainly by private people. State, market and civil society have equal role in water governance. State should allocate and protect the entitlements of the people (especially the poor), the market should conserve resources through reflecting the scarcity value of water, and civil society should adopt the roles of service, advocacy and innovation. Inequity in the distribution of water is the cause of conflict. While it is difficult to avoid conflict altogether, it can be minimised through prioritisation of the resource distribution. Drinking water should be given highest priority in the context of allocating water for different uses. Similarly, scarcity regions should be guaranteed with minimum levels of water in the case of regional allocations. Of the different sources, groundwater distribution is more iniquitous. This is mainly due to the bundling of water and land rights and lumpy nature of capital requirements for groundwater exploitation. Discussion on legal aspects of water rights is crucial. De-linking of water rights from land rights would go a long way in addressing the equity issues in groundwater distribution. Allocating rights to the community under the supervision of PR institutions could be a feasible option in this regard.