From Participation to Stewardship: Community Engagement for Urban Groundwater Resilience in India

Introduction: Groundwater is an indispensable but increasingly stressed resource in urban India. As a decentralized common-pool resource, it requires collective action by decision makers and the community to ensure its long-term sustainability. This study examines how community engagement is envisaged in India's groundwater laws, policies, and programme guidelines. The analysis also draws on documented government and civil society initiatives to examine how community engagement is reported in practice.

Methods: A qualitative content analysis was conducted of government programmes, acts, bills, policy documents, and documented case studies related to urban groundwater management. Stakeholder participation continuum served as the analytical framework. Community engagement was examined across four levels: informing, consulting, involving, and collaborating. The analysis also examined the institutions involved, modes, and provisions for continued participation.

Results: The analysed initiatives and regulatory instruments reflected varying modes and levels of community engagement. However, mechanisms for capturing community perceptions and incorporating local knowledge into formal planning and decision-making were not consistently specified. There is a need to assign clear responsibilities to institutions to strengthen engagement. Overall, engagement was more clearly articulated through awareness and feedback, while provisions for ongoing monitoring, data sharing, and long-term stewardship remained limited. However, there is a need to scale up such initiatives across cities.

Conclusions: The study proposes a framework that links levels of participation to groundwater-management functions, processes for incorporating community-generated information, and institutional responsibilities. Embedding participation within urban groundwater governance and management can support environmental stewardship, water security, and resilience to water stress. The framework would be useful for policymakers, urban local bodies, planners, and groundwater agencies.