Rethinking water resources management, governance, and decision-making: A case study of Interlinking of Rivers Project, India

The overall objective of this research study is to examine the planning, policy process and decision-making for water resources in India. This was done using the case study of the proposed Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) scheme in India and exploration of the specific events, processes, and strategies used by different actors and stakeholders to influence agenda setting, policy formulation and decision-making. The study also explores the perspectives associated with the overall water resources management in India. Using a responsive interviewing model that involves in-depth qualitative interviewing, key governmental actors and non-governmental stakeholders were interviewed. The interview data was analyzed through thematic analysis using both inductive and deductive coding. The results indicate that the evolution and policy process of the proposed ILR scheme is divided into two main phases. In the first phase, the developments took place within the governmental arena and ILR scheme became the alternative of choice as a result of several existing political and institutional factors. In the second phase, the proposed ILR scheme moved into the public domain, and in spite of criticisms within India and the global trends questioning the need for large water development schemes, the government maintained a monopoly over the issue, contained the associated conflict, and resisted change. The results for the actor - stakeholder participation and flows of information reveal that the key decision-makers were primarily concentrated at the central government level, with non-governmental stakeholders restricted to negligible roles in spite of their increased presence in the second phase. However, in spite of government's monopolization of policy process there has been lack of significant activity in the ILR implementation. Analysis of the policy process and actor-stakeholder participation indicates that lack of accounting of non-governmental stakeholders is fundamental to this inaction. The study also identified seventeen issues/concerns for the existing water development and decision-making paradigm in India, reflecting the varying perceptions and associated tensions in the perspectives amongst participants. These tensions are important given the ability of different participants to influence policy outcomes. The study concludes by providing directions for change and future research for planning and management of water resources in India.