SOAS Research Online

Abstract

Water regulation in India has traditionally been largely weak on public participation. Major changes have taken place in the past couple of decades from different perspectives. On the one hand, the international participatory agenda has been reflected in the adoption of a series of policies and laws emphasising the need for fostering the participation of water users. On the other hand, constitutionally-triggered decentralisation has led to democratically elected bodies of local governance being given broader water-related competencies. There have thus been significant changes in the discourse concerning public participation in the water sector. Yet, a lot more remains to be done to ensure that the change in discourse leads to an effective democratisation of the regulation of water. The two different forms of participation developing in parallel are different in their conceptual origin, the framework put in place for implementation and their results. While everybody agrees that participation in the water sector is necessary, its long-term success will be dependent on being framed in binding legal frameworks that reflect democratic principles.