GROUNDWATER GOVERNANCE: Development, Degradation & Management

This book attempts to understand and identify the gaps in groundwater development as well as management in terms of technical knowledge, scale, and participatory approaches and also explores the possible options for community-based groundwater management in the Indian context. Using spatio-temporal analysis, this book has assessed groundwater situation in undivided Andhra Pradesh and highlights the importance of hydrological information at an appropriate scale. By reviewing the existing groundwater management practices at the policy level across countries it discusses the different basic management principles (viz. regulatory, economic, and community-based) that are adopted for groundwater management. A comparative assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of three different institutional models that are addressing groundwater management in undivided Andhra Pradesh are taken up in order to arrive at a feasible or acceptable institutional model for scaling up. These institutions are assessed in terms of their structure, operational principles, functioning, and effectiveness in managing groundwater at the community level. Experience of these models reveals that though communities are capable of managing groundwater in a sustainable manner, sustainability of these initiatives remains uncertain in the present policy environment. Demand management models cannot be effective as long as policy environment is supply-sided. Hence, unless wide-ranging policy changes are brought in, these initiatives remain as models rather than being adapted at a wider scale. This book will be of interest to scholars, researchers, policy makers, development practitioners and all those interested in the sustainable management of groundwater.