Need for an Evolved Groundwater Justice in Rural Areas of Uttar Pradesh, India
subject: Co-evolution; Groundwater; Groundwater justice; Legal reform; Sustainability
description: As groundwater is the primary element of life, countries all over the world are experimenting with legal reforms. The degree to which law reforms combine justice and sustainability is a crucial question. In response to this question, the present article focuses on a case study of Uttar Pradesh, India. Our response is based on a content analysis of the Uttar Pradesh Groundwater (Management and Regulation) Act, 2019, and the Uttar Pradesh Groundwater (Management and Regulation) Rules, 2020. Three conclusions emerged from our investigation. First, the 2019 Groundwater Act and the 2020 Draft Groundwater Rules are primarily motivated by concerns about resource sustainability, particularly in areas where the water table is steadily declining. Still, neither the 2019 Groundwater Act nor the 2020 Draft Groundwater Rules propose any proactive groundwater justice measures. Second, we suggest that some locally defined basic elements are critical in supporting sustainability and to a lesser extent groundwater justice. These characteristics include a communitys ability to (1) recognize a crisis and show a willingness to address it; (2) establish a rule-bound community groundwater resource; (3) demonstrate leadership and a sense of community; and (4) make use of awareness, information, and knowledge. Our third conclusion is that there is a need for community practices and state-led groundwater law to co-evolve; this co-evolution has the potential to create groundwater arrangements that support both groundwater justice and sustainability. 2024 Technoscience Publications. All rights reserved.
creator: Tari V.S.; Siddiqui N.; Rathi D.; Siddiqui N.N.; Wahyuni D.K.
source: Nature Environment and Pollution Technology, Vol-23, No. 1, pp. 125-137.
publisher: Technoscience Publications
date: 2024-01-01
rights: All Open Access; Gold Open Access
relation: ISSN: 9726268
format: Online
language: English
type: Article
coverage: Tari V.S., Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Airlangganiversitas Airlangga, Jl. Sukarno Hatta, East Java, Surabaya, 60115, Indonesia; Siddiqui N., Vinayaka Missions Law School (VMLS), Chennai, India; Rathi D., School of Law, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), NCR, Delhi, India; Siddiqui N.N., Vinayaka Missions Law School (VMLS), Chennai, India; Wahyuni D.K., Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Airlangganiversitas Airlangga, Jl. Sukarno Hatta, East Java, Surabaya, 60115, Indonesia