Local self government institutions and water conservation in Kerala A study of kozhikode district

Abstract

Water is one of the essential elements for the survival and development of humankind. Therefore, the availability of clean water is always a crucial factor in ensuring the socio-economic growth and food security of a growing population. Kerala is one of the few states in India blessed with rivers, lakes, diverse wetland formations, and high annual rainfall. However, despite being rich in such surface and groundwater sources, the state has been continuously facing various issues due to acute water scarcity over the last few decades. Consequently, in line with the global and national reforms implemented in the water governance sector, Kerala adopted the decentralized water conservation model as a strategic policy in its water conservation mission. Following this, the local self-government institutions (LSGIs) have been endowed with the institutional powers and resources necessary to undertake participatory water conservation measures at the local level. Although many such legal and institutional reforms have been introduced, major water security challenges like water scarcity, depletion of groundwater, water pollution, and salinity intrusion continue to crisis-ridden various regions of the state. Against this backdrop, this study focuses on evaluating the actual operational capacity and institutional role of local self-government institutions in decentralized water conservation activities. In light of specific case studies conducted on the diverse water conservation initiatives of selected LSGIs in Kozhikode—one of the major districts in Kerala facing water security threats—the operational capacity and institutional relevance of LSGIs in the decentralized water conservation mission were identified. The institutional structure of local self-government bodies was found appropriate for ensuring the local mobilization of resources necessary for sustainable water conservation from various social sectors, including government and non-governmental organizations; securing assured popular participation in the planning and operational phases of decentralized water conservation programs as a governance mechanism with strong public involvement; and the integrated utilization of resource capacities of other compatible administrative institutions to implement scientific water conservation. Furthermore, as the grassroots-level constitutional governance mechanism of the state, the study experience proved that the operational capacity and institutional framework of local self-government institutions are fully adequate for enforcing statutory provisions related to water conservation at the ground level and for formulating nature conservation programs centered more on water resources as the focal point of watershed-based development plans.