Beyond the Buzz: Panchayats, Water User Groups and Law in India

Close observers especially in the water and forestry sector point out that user organizations may not fit well within the system of local governance and “linking them to Panchayats may undermine their independence and effectiveness.” Evolving effective interrelationship between existing user groups and Panchayats is a difficult terrain to tread and this provides the immediate context and motivation for the present work. The study aims at exploring possible functional linkages between the Gram Sabha/Gram Panchayat with the water user groups and their implications in law. It hopes to suggest some ways ahead for effective coordination between the two different legal frameworks for PRIs on one hand and the formal user groups for water management on the other. The objective is to achieve a streamlined devolution of functional responsibilities within the existing formal legal regime. [CSLG Working Paper Series, March 2005]