Publication: India : India's Water Economy, Bracing for a Turbulent Future
Loading...
Published
2005-12
ISSN
Date
2012-06-19
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
India faces a turbulent water future. The current water development and management system is not sustainable; unless dramatic changes are made in the way in which government manages water. India will have neither the cash to maintain and build new infrastructure, nor the water required for the economy and for people. This Report examines the evolution of the management of India's waters, it describes the achievements of the past, and the looming set of challenges. The Report suggests what changes should be considered and how to manage the transition from the ways of the past to the ways of the future in a principled but pragmatic manner. The Bank will focus more sharply on the institutional reform and global best practice content of Bank-financed activities. This will mean greater emphasis on instruments that stimulate efficiency, accountability and flexibility (such as water entitlements, information, regulation, competition and pricing). It will also mean greater attention to the hidden groundwater economy, and more attention on building capacity in the public sector.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2005. India : India's Water Economy, Bracing for a Turbulent Future. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/8413 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Digital Object Identifier
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication India's Water Economy : Bracing for a Turbulent Future(New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2006)India faces a turbulent water future and the current water development and management system is not sustainable.Unless dramatic changes are made and made soon in the way in which government manages water, India will have neither the cash to maintain and build new infrastructure, nor the water required for the economy and for people. This Report examines the evolution of the management of India's waters, describes the achievements of the past, and the looming set of challenges. The Report suggests what changes should be considered and how to manage the transition from the ways of the past to the ways of the future in a principled but pragmatic manner. This report focuses on two basic issues-the major water-related challenges facing India, and the critical measures required to address them. It calls for a reinvigorated set of public water institutions to sustain water development and management in India. The study examines the evolution of water management in India, describes the achievements of the past, analyses the challenges ahead, and suggests ways of evolving a sustainable water management system.Publication Appropriate Groundwater Management Policy for Sub-Saharan Africa(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011)This paper provides an overview of major groundwater issues for Sub-Saharan Africa, with an assessment of their policy implications in terms of potential development and appropriate management. In terms of construction time, capital outlay and drought resilience, groundwater is the preferred source to meet most water-supply demands, despite hydro geological complexity, natural constraints on water well yields and quality, and institutional weaknesses. The 'new developmental agenda' relates to improving urban water-supply security and expanding irrigated agriculture to meet these challenges many countries need to undertake strategic assessment of their groundwater and prioritize investment on institutional strengthening so as to facilitate appropriately-managed groundwater development. Without effective use of available groundwater resources, improved livelihoods and climate-change adaptation will prove much more difficult to achieve.Publication A Water Sector Assessment Report on the Countries of the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf(Washington, DC, 2005-03)The main objective of the Water Sector Review in the member countries the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) is to (1) conduct a diagnosis of the current situation of the water sector, identify issues in the GCC region, evaluate the GCC governments' current water policies, and propose recommendations for improved Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Phase I of the study; (2) present key findings and recommendations at the GCC Water Conference in Bahrain, September 19-20, 2005, where Government officials, academic specialists and technical experts from the region would provide inputs to this study; and (3) if amenable to the GCC governments, conduct Phase II of the study to develop specific policies and action plans for more sustainable water resources management in individual GCC states.Publication Grow in Concert with Nature : Sustaining East Asia's Water Resources through Green Water Defense(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2012)As countries develop, the demand for water increases while water supply becomes less certain and is often not enough to meet demand. In general, pressures from both environment and human activities can increase the likelihood of water scarcity. Such pressures include increased socio-economic development and population growth, change in people's diets, competition for available water among different user sectors and growing climate variability. Climate change is likely to exacerbate the existing demand and supply stresses, particularly when more frequent and extreme droughts and floods, as well as rising sea level are becoming more evident. In temperate, sub-temperate regions, less rainfall and longer dry seasons are expected. In tropical areas, rainfall is predicted to be similar or greater in terms of annual average volumes, more intense and severe storms and seasonal droughts (IPCC, 2007). These pressures will test the effectiveness of water resource management systems in providing a consistent and secure water supply for all users, with minimum externalities. This study will assess advances in management practices, institutional and technological innovations for managing water scarcity sustainably under a changing climate. This study of 'sustaining East Asia's water resources through Green Water Defense (GWD) is a sub-study of the 'towards GWD in East Asia' study and is complemented by another sub-study 'green water defense for flood risk management in East Asia' that focuses on flood management in delta regions.Publication Water and Climate Change(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2010-06)Adaptation to climate impacts on groundwater resources in developed and developing countries has not received adequate attention. This reflects the often poorly understood impacts of climate change, the hidden nature of groundwater and the general neglect of groundwater management. Many developing countries are highly reliant on groundwater. Given expectations of reduced supply in many regions and growing demand, pressure on groundwater resources is set to escalate. This is a crucial problem and demands urgent action. This report addresses the impacts of climate change on groundwater and adaptation options. The Earth's climate is projected to become warmer and more variable. Increased global temperatures are projected to affect the hydrologic cycle, leading to changes in precipitation patterns and increases in the intensity and frequency of extreme events; reduced snow cover and widespread melting of ice; rising sea levels; and changes in soil moisture, runoff and groundwater recharge. Increased evaporation and the risk of flooding and drought could adversely affect security of water supply, particularly surface water. Due to these pressures, as well as global population growth, demand for groundwater is likely to increase.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Tunisia Infrastructure Diagnostic(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-12)Tunisia’s has made significant investments in infrastructure, which has contributed to economic growth. The investments have enabled reasonably good access to basic infrastructure services. While access rates are high, the relative quality of Tunisia’s infrastructure has deteriorated significantly over the last ten years. State-owned enterprises (SOEs), which dominate the infrastructure sector, receive considerable subsidies and incur notable financial losses. Overall, there is a heavy reliance on external borrowing to fund infrastructure investment, which creates contingent liabilities, and enhances foreign exchange and macro-economic risk. Chapter one provides an overview of Tunisia’s infrastructure performance; chapter two discusses each sub-sector in more detail in terms of achievements and challenges; chapter three looks at historical trends in spending followed by a scenario analysis of investment needs with anecdotal examples, and discusses the present macro-economic and fiscal constraints; and chapter four presents possible action items for further discussion with the Tunisian government.Publication Political Economy of the Petroleum Sector in Nigeria(2011-08-01)The relatively slow pace of Nigeria's development has often been attributed to the phenomenon of the resource curse whereby the nature of the state as a "rentier" dilutes accountability for development and political actors are able to manipulate institutions to sustain poor governance. The impact of the political elite's resource-control and allocation of revenues on core democratic mechanisms is central to understand the obstacles to development and governance failure. Given that problems of petroleum sector governance are extremely entrenched in Nigeria, the key question is whether and how it is possible to get out of a poor equilibrium after fifty years of oil production. This paper uses a political economy perspective to analyze the governance weaknesses along the petroleum sector value chain and attempts to establish the links between challenges in sector regulation and the following major political and economic attributes: (i) strong executive control on petroleum governance in a political environment of weak checks and balances; (ii) regulatory and operating roles bundled into one institution, thereby creating conflict of interest; and (iii) manipulation of elections and political appointments. The restoration of democratic government has helped improve transparency and management of oil revenue and reforms at the federal level and proposed reforms of the petroleum sector hold much promise. At the same time, the judiciary has started to restore confidence that it will serve as a check and balance on the executive and the electoral process. Yet, these reforms are fragile and need to be deepened and institutionalized. They must be addressed not as purely technocratic matters but as issues of political economy and vested interests that must, through regulation and reform, be aligned with the public interest and a vision of Nigerian development.Publication Logistics in Argentina : Analysis, Options and Strategies to Overcome Emerging Restrictions(Washington, DC, 2010-10)In 2006 the World Bank wrote a report analyzing the situation of logistics in Argentina and identifying the main restrictions on trade flows. That report, entitled 'Argentina: the challenge of lowering logistics costs in the face of growth in foreign trade' was the first World Bank study designed to analyze the country's logistics performance. Based on the government's specific objective to achieve exports of US$60 billion by 2010, the report highlighted the need for significant improvement in the efficiency of transport networks and logistics services. In addition, the report underlined the risk of congestion at critical nodes that could develop if exports were to grow at the rate forecasted at that time (a rate that was in fact exceeded between 2006 and 2008, but which suffered a significant decline as from the crisis that began at the end of 2008). The high logistics costs faced by companies in the Argentine northwest (NOA) were also identified as a significant restriction in the 2006 report. This report makes a detailed analysis of the challenges and problems associated with the four topics identified in the preceding point, and presents recommendations of a general nature for their solution.Publication Kingdom of Lesotho Local Governance, Decentralization, and Demand-Driven Service Delivery, Volume 1. Main Report(Washington, DC, 2007-06-27)After more than 35 years, the elected local government system in Lesotho was reestablished in 2005 through the election of the Local Authorities, i.e. the Community and District Councils (CCs and DCs). Across the political spectrum, the political will to move forward was at its peak. An exemplary campaign to educate the entire population as to the purposes and functioning of the new Local Authorities, and the electoral process preceded the election. The purposes of the new system are the improvement in services and access to government, broad participation of the local population in their own development combined with enhanced accountability to them, and promotion of equitable development in all parts of the country. The establishment of the Local Authorities and their election was received by even the remotest populations with great enthusiasm, and the elected Councilors have taken up their job with energy and commitment. The objectives of this report derive from the general priorities of the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) of Lesotho which emphasizes pro-poor growth, community empowerment, improved governance and public sector performance. The specific priorities of the PRS have been set as employment creation, food security, and infrastructure development, deepening of democracy, governance, safety and security, access to health services, increasing human resource capacity, managing and conserving the environment, and improving public service delivery. Cross cutting priorities include combating HIV and AIDS, and addressing gender inequalities as well as issues related to children and youth. From among all the possible sectors, agriculture and natural resources were selected because: (i) the local authorities have a mandate for the promotion of economic development and the management of natural resources; (ii) improvements in these areas are necessary for economic development, poverty reduction, and for improving the tax base and revenue generation capacity; and (iii) improvements require collaboration between local authorities, communities, sector institutions, and the private sector, a collaboration in which the Local Authorities sit at the center of the network of co-producers.Publication Analysis of the Scope of Energy Subsidies and Suggestions for the G-20 Initiative(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2010-06-16)When the G-20 leaders met on 24-25 September 2009 in Pittsburgh, USA, they agreed in their Communiqué that, building on the efforts of many countries to, reduce fossil fuel subsidies while preventing adverse impact on the poorest?, they were committed to, rationalize and phase out over the medium term inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption. This draft report has been developed jointly by the International Energy Agency (IEA), Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and World Bank in response to this request. It draws on the relevant expertise and work of the four tasked organizations, but also on input and comments from other organizations and experts. The report includes: a) discussion of the scope of energy subsidies; b) estimates of energy subsidies, and identification of the gaps in the existing data and issues around the measurement of energy subsidies; c) modeling-based analysis of the implications of phasing-out energy subsidies on the economy, including socio-economic and trade impacts, the environment, and the energy sector; and d) suggestions for the implementation of phase-out of inefficient subsidies leading to wasteful consumption, drawing on country case studies, including discussion of how to address social impacts.