Abstract
Abstract The water crisis in India is no more restricted to a few states or areas. It has started affecting all forms of life, industry, and livelihood, and therefore it emerges as one of the biggest challenges. The water crisis is a direct outcome of the governance and analysis of water institutions, playing a central role in understanding the state of water governance. This study aims to understand the water institutions and their ultimate impact on various aspects of water sector performance in India. A survey was administered to collect information on the perception of water experts on the role and importance of various institutional aspects including water law, policy, and administration in improving water sector performance in India. Factor analysis and multiple linear regression methods were used to find the significant factors of water institutions and their effect on the different aspects of water sector performance in India. The analysis shows that the most important factors for improving the water sector performance are (a) legal accountability provisions, (b) water transfer policies, and (c) use of science and technology application along with reliable data. The level of importance of these significant institutional variables also varies within various performance aspects.
Highlights
Water scarcity and other water-related problems are not hypothetical cases anymore, but are a reality of our time
Different institutional aspects selected for water law, policy, and administration are trying to cover most of these policy issues of the water sector and are adequate to capture the role of these subcomponents on water institutions and water sector performance
There is a dearth of empirical studies on water institutions and how they interact with water sector performance, especially in the Indian context
Summary
Water scarcity and other water-related problems are not hypothetical cases anymore, but are a reality of our time. In India, water demand is increasing due to the water needs of the growing population, food production, and industries for economic development. Water supplies are restricted due to several constraints like low investment in the water sector from public and private entities, poor infrastructure, and political unwillingness (Amarasinghe et al, 2005; Gulati & Banerjee, 2016; Jain, 2019). This has resulted in an increased number of cases related to water conflicts all across the country (Aayog et al, 2018).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
