Book of Extended summaries ISDA

International Conference on Reimagining Rainfed Agro-ecosystems: Challenges &
Opportunities during 22-24, December 2022 at ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad
area and 90% of its rural water needs (World Bank, 2010). Rapid changes in land use and land
cover patterns, expanding urbanization, growing population, and changing monsoon patterns
in the wake of climate change are putting increasing pressure on our water resources and
exacerbating the water crisis. However, one can see the poor governance of this precious
resource at different levels. Although there are ample laws and regulations and a handful of
success stories of community-based water management, as rightly described, India’s water
future is ‘turbulent’ at a large level (Briscoe and Malik, 2006). There is ‘anarchy’ at the
groundwater use and extraction level (Shah, 2009). Therefore, developing and testing
appropriate and feasible solutions for governing the groundwater resource and taking them at
scale is the need of the hour. The present paper highlights the lessons learned from action
research designed and implemented in 100 villages of Maharashtra by WOTR to improve water
governance at the local level. The action research was designed to understand the enablers and
barriers to promoting appropriate groundwater governance with the aim of achieving
community-led responsible water use that is environmentally sustainable, socially judicious,
and economically efficient.
Methodology
Massive data sets were created regarding socio-economic and biophysical assets during pre and
post-interventions and were compared to understand the significance of different components
implemented. Also, rich qualitative data was generated through many stakeholder workshops
and case studies. Thus, the systematic process documentation made during the study is used as
an important data source for this paper. The concept of water stewardship considers that every
individual has a right to water, and this right comes with a responsibility and accountability to
oneself and the community for the appropriate resource management. Water users are viewed
not as passive beneficiaries or recipients to exploit the resource but as custodians to use and
benefit from it while protecting and managing it for the future. Hence, water resources are
viewed as a public trust rather than a private good. The stewardship approach brings the
different users/stakeholders together on one platform, establishing a dialogue based on
knowledge and information, and arriving at a consensus for the preparation and execution of
the plan for water management.
Results
The outcomes of this effort have been positive and encouraging. At the end of the project period,
of the 100 villages where WSI (Water Stewardship Initiative) work was carried out, the
performance of 46 was satisfactory, that of 35 was moderately satisfactory, while 18 villages
have underperformed. All the communities have become aware of the causal relationship
between the water crisis facing them and their water usage and management practices. In all
the villages, communities have drawn up water stewardship action plans, and 75% have
Institutional and policy innovations for accelerated and enhanced impacts
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