Evolution of Water Law and Policy in India

Cullet, Philippe; Gupta, Joyeeta

Abstract

This chapter examines the evolution of water law and policy in India from pre-historic to present times, briefly outlining pre-colonial developments and focusing on colonial and postcolonial issues and the complexity of regulating water in India. The fragmentation of water law in the past has not yet been overcome. Water law remains patchy partly because it is a state subject while being also an issue of concern at the union level and partly because there are elements of water law in environment or health laws. Further, division of tasks between various social actors and levels is unclear. Water policy is being pushed in a number of different directions, reflecting the specificities of the Indian situation, such as its complex administrative structure, overlapping and sometimes contradictory rights frameworks, vastly different endowments in water resources in different regions, and difficulties in allocating water in the most socially and economically appropriate manner.

Citation

Cullet, P., & Gupta, J. (2009). Evolution of Water Law and Policy in India. In D. Joseph W., & J. Gupta (Eds.), The Evolution of the Law and Politics of Water (157-173). Springer Academic Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9867-3_10

• Publication Date: Apr 27, 2009
• Deposit Date: Jul 27, 2009
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 157-173
• Book Title: The Evolution of the Law and Politics of Water
• ISBN: 9781402098666
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9867-3_10