Local Governance and Participative Water Management in Urban Contexts

Abstract

Water governance has traditionally been in the hands of local communities. During the British Colonial period, and later in Independent India, the State arrogated control. While intentions were good, the outcomes were not. On the other hand, local water governance deteriorated with the decline of local institutions. While macro management should have taken a wider view of the resource, micro management had to ensure equitable distribution. Neither achieved their outcomes owing to limited abilities and vision. Further, the ability of local government institutions varies from state to state and, more often than not, declines with its size, i.e., smaller urban local bodies or panchayats are less capable than larger ones in water management. To address this, both the national and state institutions need to build capacities of local institutions while transferring power and finances to enable them to do their job. On their part, local institutions need to see their role as managers and not merely implementers of national or state policies and programmes.