Chapter 8 Pani panchayat: examples of water governance and community participation in India

Abstract

A varied amalgamation of diverse people and ecosystems, India, since its traditions inherits a collective based governance concept, otherwise colloquially known as Panchayat. A Panchayat is fundamentally a group of few wise men in a village, who would periodically meet to take decisions on any issue of local concern or conflict. Although, similar collective decision-making mechanisms would exist in other forms in other parts of the globe too, but what make Panchayats unique in the country, or one can say the whole sub-continent here, is the avenue for a direct participation by the people. The individuals in a village would quintessentially elect five wise men within their community, thus in a way leading to their own responsibility towards the decisions affecting them. On similar lines of collectiveness transgresses the term Pani Panchayat. Pani is the commonly used Indian vernacular for “water.” With more than two-thirds of the country's population directly dependent on water for livelihoods through agriculture, and therefore in the economy, due emphasis has been given to water for agriculture in implementation of its policies. However, water's role in drinking and sanitation, industrial needs, and environment has been submitted to improvidence.

Citation

Bhakuni, C. (2010), "Chapter 8 Pani panchayat: examples of water governance and community participation in India", Shaw, R. and Thaitakoo, D. (Ed.) Water Communities (Community, Environment and Disaster Risk Management, Vol. 2), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 139-167. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2040-7262(2010)0000002011