Articles by Paromita Goswami

Maharashtra was the first Indian state to legislate an independent water regulatory authority in 2005. This decision was driven as much by the World Bank-promoted water sector reforms as by domestic politics. Irrigation backlogs and regional imbalances have been the main feature of water politics whose roots go back to the formation of the state. The state government's desire to prioritise water allocation for industrial use in its State Water Policy 2003 met with strong resistance from people in Vidarbha. Although irrigation was eventually prioritised above industry, politics also led to the undermining of the independent water regulatory authority legislated as an essential element of the water sector reforms.