Groundwater governance in India – A case study by World Bank

It examines the impediments to better governance of groundwater, and explores opportunities for using groundwater to help developing countries adapt to climate change. It attempts to understand the practical issues that arise in establishing robust national governance frameworks for groundwater and in implementing these frameworks at the aquifer level.

The case study focused on the national, state and local levels. At the national and state levels, it analyzed the policy, legal, and institutional arrangements to identify the demand and supply management and incentive structures that have been established for groundwater management. At the local level, it assessed the operations, successes, and constraints facing local institutions in the governance of a number of aquifers within peninsula India, on the coast and on the plain of the Ganges river valley.

The report is divided into eight chapters following which a list of references used in the paper is used is provided. The first chapter in the beginning provides a brief background to the study and defines “groundwater governance”. In this report it refers to “refers to those political, social, economic, and administrative systems that are explicitly aimed at developing and managing water resources and water services at different levels of society that rely solely or largely on groundwater resources”. Following this the methodology used to carry out the study is elaborated where emphasis on pragmatic approaches, which can bring is incremental improvements with the given institutional framework is highlighted. The study is based on:

• the findings and recommendations of  “Deep Wells and Prudence: Towards Pragmatic Action for Addressing Groundwater Overexploitation in India” ,which focused mainly on aquifer intensive abstraction groundwater issues (World Bank 2010).
• number of  Groundwater Management Advisory Team (GW-MATE) case profile and strategic overview series publications, which addressed in more detail the local level in seven rural and urban aquifers; and
• reports on groundwater quality-related aspects prepared by two local consultants aimed at addressing the technical/managerial and legal/institutional dimensions of aquifer protection in the country.

 Chapter 2 is on “Resource

 Chapter 3 is on “The Governance Framework”. With a brief over view of key aspects related to ground water and its lacunas in the national water policy of 1987 and 2002 the report points at ground water in the Indian legal system and policy framework. Following which the institutions that govern the development and management of ground water is elaborated. This section covers the following issues: quality protection and pollution of ground water, its monitoring and surveillance the institutional capacity of institutions and financial issues.

 Chapter 4 is on “Case Study Aquifers/Pilot Projects”. To cover the diverse rural and urban environments with different socioeconomic features seven cases of aquifers had been selected for this study. The chapter discusses in detail about these cases.

 Chapter 5 is on “Findings and Lessons Learned”. It states that technical, legal, and institutional provisions are in a more or less acceptable. As far as the implementation of actions proposed by GWMATE is also uncertain as the institutional capacity is weak. The chapter then lays down a list of lessons learned about intensive groundwater use in hardrock peninsular India and alluvial Indo Gangetic Plain. It also highlights on the issue of coping with groundwater pollution issues.

 Chapter 6 is on “Groundwater Governance and Climate Change Adaptation”. It gives a brief description (conjunctive use and recharge enhancement) of the World Bank’s study on ground water and climate change in cases where GW-MATE has been involved.

Chapter 7 is on “Recommendations”. A summary of: recommended implementation actions for managing intensive groundwater abstraction and actions required for protecting ground water pollution is given in this chapter. Further it also highlights at the actions required to strengthen state groundwater development and management agencies.

 Chapter 8 provides list annexes of the report.

 Click below to download the report.