Governance in the Water Sector

Abstract

Out of the four life support systems, air and solar energy are freely available; land is owned by the state or the individuals, but ‘water’ is the only system which is amenable to be managed to meet needs of humans for their survival and wellbeing and that of all other life forms on the Earth. With the advancement of civilization, demand for land and water for human use started increasing, thereby causing degradation of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. To this quantitative degradation, since the eighteenth century, qualitative degradation commenced with the industrialization and urbanization. During later half of the twentieth century, these issues attained such a level that, rethinking of present policies about water resource development and management was started at the world level. Attempt has been made in the paper to present all these recent developments in ‘water sector’, proposed to be carried out with a view to meeting all competing and conflicting water demands of humans, now and in the distant future till the population stabilizes, duly causing minimum degradation of environment and natural ecosystems. Brief review of historical development of time tested water resource development infrastructure and its management in the Peninsular India has been taken. However, detailed review of problems associated with governance of WR development and management of the infrastructure constructed in Maharashtra State after independence has been taken to highlight the issues and challenges to be addressed to and their possible solutions for achieving a desirable future.