Bridging the gap: Towards holistic water sector policies

Governing groundwater is challenging due to its invisible nature and increasing competition for use. Its extraction is influenced by complex socio-economic and governance factors, leading to unregulated exploitation. Addressing this requires strengthening existing policies to ensure equity, sustainability, and climate resilience while making groundwater science and policies accessible to farmers.

India has long recognised the need for groundwater governance reforms, especially since the rise of mechanised pumping and declining water tables.

The government introduced a Model Bill in 1970 to regulate groundwater, revising it multiple times (1992, 1996, 2005, 2011, and 2017). The Central Groundwater Board (CGWB) was established in 1972, followed by the National Water Policy (1987, revised in 2002 and 2012, and is currently under review. The National Water Framework Law (drafted in 2013 and revised in 2016) was proposed, and large-scale watershed programs were unified under the Integrated Watershed Development Program (IWDP) in 2008. In 2012, the government launched NAQUIM (National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme) to map aquifers, followed by the Atal Bhujal Yojana (2019) for groundwater recharge in seven states. The Jal Jeevan Mission (2019) aims to provide tap water to all rural households by 2024.

Addressing policy gaps in groundwater governance

Despite these policy and program interventions, groundwater depletion continues due to ineffective governance, fragmented policies, and lack of integration between surface and groundwater management. Scholars describe this situation in the water sector as a governance "anarchy" where the right hand of surface water doesn’t know what the left hand of groundwater is doing.

This article analyses policy gaps and suggests reforms for a more effective and sustainable groundwater governance framework.

1) Equity and co-benefits: The current groundwater policies continue to favour landowners by following the old Easement Act of 1882, allowing unrestricted water extraction while excluding landless farmers from ownership or rights. Existing policies (e.g., Maharashtra Ground Water Act of 2009) rely on permits and depth restrictions, reinforcing inequalities. To ensure fair resource distribution, groundwater rights must be delinked from land ownership.

2) Participatory and inclusive governance: Effective governance requires trust and inclusive participation. However, current policies favour elites, limiting actual community involvement. Governance structures need restructuring to enhance transparency and equitable representation.

3) Mainstreaming gender in water management: Policies mandate women’s participation but overlooks social barriers like caste, class, and mobility restrictions. Meaningful inclusion requires gender-sensitive approaches, female staff representation, and avoiding token involvement. Selecting active women through self-help groups and Gram Sabhas can improve representation.

4) Capacity and knowledge building: Water management policies lack investment in awareness and training. Legal literacy is low, and officials often focus only on technical aspects, ignoring social and economic dimensions. A multidisciplinary approach, behavioural change communication (BCC), and resource allocation are essential for sustainable water management.

5) Shift from dugwells to farm ponds: Farm ponds, promoted for rainwater harvesting, are misused for groundwater storage, increasing extraction and competition. Policies lack guidelines on pond numbers and their regulation. Groundwater extraction for farm ponds should be prohibited in overexploited zones, and ponds should store only rainwater.

6) Risks of the Shirpur pattern: Streams and rivers deepening and widening (Shirpur pattern) are widely adopted in different regions. However, if implemented unscientifically, it alters hydrogeology, threatening groundwater access and ecosystems. Environmental and hydrogeological assessments should precede such interventions.

7) Neglecting ridge-to-valley principle: Programs like IWMP and Tank desiltation focus on surface water without a holistic watershed approach, leading to soil erosion and siltation. Integrated planning, aligning these programs with scientific modifications, is essential.

8) Changing economy and technologies: Rapidly changing political economy in the regions in terms of more protection and promotion for specific crops, like sugarcane, grapes and banana, speedily growing urbanisation, a tertiary sector highly contributing to GDP, and thus increasing water needs, flourishing water markets in terms of private tankers and packed water bottles, are not genuinely addressed in existing water policies and programs. Even in the water sector, artificial intelligence has enormous potential for real-time monitoring of water harvesting, groundwater recharge, and aquifer extraction. Accurate estimations of water availability will significantly improve conservation efforts. These trends have to be reflected in the existing policies and programs.

9) Crop selection and market link: Market-driven crop choices favour water-intensive crops. Policies lack incentives for low-water crops like millets. State-backed procurement and integration into public distribution could promote sustainable farming.

10) Delays in operationalising laws: Key water laws remain ineffective without implementing rules. Many passed acts lack enforceable frameworks, hindering regulation. Immediate rule-making is essential.

11) Improving local water governance: Empowering local communities with stewardship roles will enhance their engagement in sustainable water management. Making village communities aware of their responsibilities to manage water resources better, following water budgeting practices, and taking collective actions for their implementation are the keys to ensuring the sustainable and judicious use of water resources. Here, a system of incensing for good practices is crucial. Efforts are needed to make stewardship a core component of all water-related policies and programs.

12) Strengthening demand-side water management: Due to subsidy delays and a lack of subsidies, the adoption of measures of micro-irrigation, better soil health practices, and cultivation of suitable crops is low. Efficient subsidy delivery and regulation ensuring actual water savings through these practices are needed.

13) Integrating surface & groundwater use: Surface and groundwater management are disconnected, reducing recharge efficiency. Policies must integrate interventions like farm ponds, Jalyukt Shivar, and stream deepening, taking into account groundwater science, for sustainable outcomes.

14) Renewable energy for water systems: Solar and wind-powered water pumps are increasing significantly, ensuring water access in off-grid areas and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. However, precautions must be taken so these renewable energy pumps do not rampantly overexploit the groundwater resource.

15) Multi-sectoral approach: Since water plays a crucial role in various sectors, it is essential to align water policies with those related to agriculture, markets, energy, the fertiliser industry, soil health, industrial development, urban water transport, and technologies that significantly impact water usage. Practical water governance extends beyond managing water resources alone.

In summary, a multi-sectoral approach integrating various sectors linked to water is essential. Current policies fail to address rapid water use shifts impacting ecosystems and groundwater sustainability. Effective governance demands collaboration between policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders, ensuring participatory policy-making and accountability. Policies should be thoroughly tested before large-scale implementation, with space for critique and improvement. Without addressing current challenges, sustainable water governance remains uncertain.

Dr Eshwer Kale is a senior researcher at  Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR), Pune.

The article was first published on WOTR site here and has been republished with the author's permission. 

Disclaimer: All views expressed in this article are that of the author and may not represent the views of the India Water Portal.