Book of Extended summaries ISDA

International Conference on Reimagining Rainfed Agro-ecosystems: Challenges &
Opportunities during 22-24, December 2022 at ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad
submitted these to the authorities. People have taken steps small and big, some more and others
less, at both the household and village levels to manage and use water efficiently. Small
behavioral changes with regard to water use are observed at home and in the fields. The number
of farmers adopting water-efficient technologies and better farming techniques is increasing
across all villages. Moreover, community contribution and governmental action have increased
water harvesting capacity and availability in all the villages. Motivation and mobilization for
community action have helped to realize these outcomes. The VWMT and the Jal Sevaks played
an important role in sensitizing people and organizing them to undertake water budgeting
practices in the villages and, more importantly, framing the village-level norms and regulations
regarding water use and crop practices (D’Souza et al., 2019).
Conclusion
The WSI has provided valuable experiences and lessons in understanding the complex
relationships and compulsions that influence behaviors that determine access to and use of
water at the ground level. The project has also highlighted the need to develop an enabling policy
and institutional framework that facilitates and incentivises community and other stakeholders’
participation across society. The project must develop an enabling policy and institutional
framework that enables participation and also these efforts must be accompanied by sustained
and large-scale, multi-format sensitisation campaigns, capacity building and skill upgradation
of water users, better governance measures, and the constitution of developmental and
regulatory agencies at all levels. In addition, the establishment of a mechanism that enforces
related policies and regulations for the common good in a transparent, fair, and consistent
manner is necessary if the culture and practice of “water stewardship” are to become a way of
life. The initiative contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals 6, 12, 13, and 16 and
reduces the overall use of natural resources and thus contributes to a low-carbon development
pathway and lessons for operationalizing groundwater management-related policies.
References
Briscoe, J. and Malik, P. 2006. India’s Water Economy: Bracing for a Turbulent Future, Oxford
University Press, New Delhi, India
D’Souza, M., Kale, E., and Pinjan, H. 2019. A Step towards Quenching Rural India’s Thirst,
Experiences and Learnings from the Water Stewardship Initiative in Maharashtra.
Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR), Pune.
Kale, E., Pinjan, H. and D’Souza, M. 2022. Water Stewardship in Rural India: A How-to
Manual, Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR), Pune
Shah, T. 2009, ‘Taming the Anarchy: groundwater governance in South Asia’, International
Water Management Institute (IWMI), Colombo, Sri Lanka
805 | Page Institutional and policy innovations for accelerated and enhanced impacts