Implicit alignment: India's National Water Policy and a human rights‐based approach to water management

Abstract

AbstractAs a potential solution to water scarcity, the United Nations advocates for a human rights‐based (HRB) approach to water management, characterized by a focus on the provision of safe drinking water and sanitation, stakeholder participation, and the realization of water equity for traditionally marginalized communities. Although most states around the world suffer from some form of water scarcity or stress, not all governments have officially recognized the validity of an HRB approach to water management. India stands as an instructive case study in this regard. The Indian state suffers from physical and economic water scarcity across its urban and rural communities, but the Indian federal government has not yet explicitly recognized the human right to water as a legitimate policy approach. Interestingly, though, the right to water has been tacitly recognized within India's legal system; thus, it is worth examining whether a tacit recognition of an HRB approach to water management exists in other aspects of India's national policy. This article utilizes content analysis to explore that question by, first, identifying seven key concepts within an HRB water management approach and, second, tracing those concepts through the 1987, 2002, and 2012 iterations of India's National Water Policy. The results help to illustrate that India's National Water Policy is congruent with an HRB approach to water management, although challenges remain due to a lack of both accountability and clarification of responsibilities between the national and subsidiary governments within India.This article is categorized under: Human Water > Rights to Water Human Water > Water Governance