Importance of participatory approach for ground water governance and regulation

The ground water development in India being the major source of food security and drinking water in the rural area is being developed more than the annual recharge. This has resulted in the decline of water table leading to saline ingress and quality deterioration. The sustainability of water resources to lead the present and stipulated demand under climate change looks uncertain unless supplementation of water resources and participatory approach with stakeholders is followed. The phenomenal increase in population over the past few decades coupled with growing industrialization and urbanization has led to degradation of the water resources and India is no exception. It is a matter of great concern that about 57% of the total geographical area of the country is suffering from various forms of degradation-water and wind erosion, water logging and salinization, mines, quarrying and landslides etc. Quality of water is being deteriorated due to haphazard disposal of pollutants, sewage and effluents. In India, ground water regulatory authority is responsible for regulation of ground water development both for its depletion and pollution. It is observed that effective governance and regulation is only possible with involvement opf local stakeholders. There is, therefore, need for proper planning and management. In order to manage the available water resources in sustainable manner, participation of community, the stakeholders is essential. Participatory approach requires transparency, financial mobilization, community organization, conflicts resolution, women participation etc. To be successful, participatory approach needs continuous monitoring and evaluation involving, local people, development agencies and policy makers, deciding together how progress should be measured and results acted upon. Furthermore, the impacts of the institutional arrangements need to be regularly assessed in order to ascertain whether the welfare of the poor is being adversely affected by resource management regimes. This is a challenging process for all concerned as it encourages people to examine their assumptions about what constitutes progress and to face up to the contradictions and conflicts that can emerge. Because participatory management programs are designed to be responsive to changing community needs, one of the most pressing challenges is to develop participatory and systems based evaluative processes to allow or ongoing learning, correction and adjustment by all concerned. The paper discusses various issues of water quality and quantity and the way forward for managing the water resources with participatory approach.