1 Governance of Water: Issues and Challenges Vishwa Ballabh B ACKGROUND Water-related issues impinge on human wellbeing in a variety of ways. Water sustains people’s livelihood support system and features in food production, and is thus important for food security; it combines natural ecosystem, provides sink and dissolves waste material. In fact, preservation of water sources in their pristine and unpolluted state is essential for the devel- opment of a healthy society. No doubt then, Indian planners and policy makers consider the development of water resources as core to the overall economic development, and massive in- vestments, both public and private, have gone in the development of water resources. These investments created a congenial environment for agricultural growth, leading to increase in production and productivity and a favourable food balance. Yet, presently, several problems are encountered in the way water resources are used and managed, some of which are dis- cussed below. First, the sustainability of irrigated agriculture and massive investment in groundwater and surface water development have, however, been questioned on several grounds including the competition for water for domestic and industrial purposes. In fact, doubts have been raised about India’s capacity for sustained growth in agriculture to feed its population (Rosegrant et al. 1999). Second, the gap between the demand and supply of water is increasing rapidly. In 1951, the per capita availability of fresh water in India was 3,450 m 3 per year. In 1999, it stood at approximately 1,250 m 3 per capita per year—and will reduce to 760 m 3 by the year 2050 (Government of India 1999). This, coupled with uneven distribution of water in major water basins, further accentuates the problem. The quality of both surface and groundwater is declining rapidly. Agriculture too has a dual impact on water quality: (i) excessive use of fertil- isers and pesticides through leaching directly affects water quality; and (ii) over-extraction Copyright @ 2008. Sage Publications Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted under U.S. or applicable copyright law. EBSCO : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 2/24/2019 3:38 PM via PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD JAVERIANA - BIBLIOTECA CENTRAL AN: 278234 ; Ballabh, Vishwa.; Governance of Water : Institutional Alternatives and Political Economy