Inclusive Water Governance: a Global Necessity. Lessons from India

Efficient water management has emerged as a critical challenge of environmental protection and human security in the twenty-first century. Lack of water management affects the hydrological cycle of the earth, leading to a major influence on the livelihood of the people. This paper reviews the enhanced role of IWRM in water management. It discusses the functioning of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) as a global approach to overcome the challenge(s) regarding the efficient management of water. Further, the paper argues for ‘inclusive water governance’ developed at the local level as against IWRM developed at the global level. The paper emphasizes on the approach of inclusive water governance as a practical solution to address the water management crisis in India, in particular, and developing countries, in general. Inclusive water governance is sensitive to equitable access to water, as a human right, and also to sustainability of water, as an important resource.