Local water resource management through stakeholder participation: case study, arid region, India

Abstract

Access to clean water is important for socio-economic development worldwide. Bhuj, in an arid region in Gujarat State in India, has an ancient and unique water resource management system. The city's visionary king developed a catchment system of lakes so that, despite minimal rainfall and frequent droughts, sufficient water could be stored to sustain the city for around 300 years. However, over the years, with rapid urbanization and the introduction of a piped water supply, this ancient supply system was abandoned and was not maintained well. As a result, the city's water resources became polluted and defunct, which forced it to depend on distant water sources. This study shows how the city's water management strategies changed before independence (1947), and pre-earthquake (1947–2001) and post-earthquake (2001 to present). The paper mainly documents how the city's own water resources can be managed successfully by following the concepts of IUWM through effective stakeholder participation, to make the city water-secure.

Reviewing Historic Urban Water Transitions to Advance Water-Sensitive Urban Design for Bhuj, India

“…By digging the Haripar canal and constructing the Dhunaraja dam, water from the Hamidrai, Dhunaraja, Lakki, and Tapka catchments was redirected to Hamirsar Lake instead of flowing around Bhuj on its east side (Figure 2, VII). A qanat system of 24 wells connected to an underground canal funneled water from a reservoir, named both Umasar Lake and Mochirairakhal talav, through a hill separating the Mirzapar catchment from Hamirsar Lake instead of water flowing around Bhuj on its west side [27] (Figure 2, I and Figure 3). Such water works, deepening of water bodies, and maintenance of the system were carried out collectively by employing the local population, who were paid in cash or in kind [26].…”

“…At the time, the lake was three times the size of the walled city, securing water supply and preventing droughts and famines which did strike surrounding villages in the region The interventions upscaled the catchment which discharges to Hamirsar from 7 to 35 km 2 . At the time, the lake was three times the size of the walled city, securing water supply and preventing droughts and famines which did strike surrounding villages in the region [26,27]. At disintegrated locations, the unique system remains in place and contributes to the establishment of an urban water culture in the water-scarce region.…”

“…Land 2023, 12, x FOR PEER REVIEW 7 of 23 [26,27]. At disintegrated locations, the unique system remains in place and contributes to the establishment of an urban water culture in the water-scarce region.…”

Water Policies in India: A Critical Review

“…Vyuas (28) recommended for more efforts to be made from Government side to spread awareness regarding the effectual water use and conservation too. Sheth (29) in his paper indicated the success of managing the water asset of the Bhuj city by collaborating the partners using the Integrated Urban Water Resource Management (IUWM) process. Strengthening these initiatives requires strong implementation of water rights to the network, revival of the conventional procedures in protection, water executive framework, and acknowledgment of water as a typical property asset.…”

Identifying potential stakeholders for the management of Lower Mgeta and Upper Zigi water catchments of Tanzania, East Africa

“…These multiple factors that arise from communities‐catchment interactions, bring challenges on natural resources, and more so, on the management of catchment resources. Community participation in water resources management has gained much international acceptance as a sustainable and holistic approach as it leads to knowledge production and sharing, which is a role central to any resource management (Rockström et al, 2014; Krause and Strang, 2016; Pessoa, 2020; Seth and Lyer, 2021). For instance, researchers in Africa (Msuya and Lalika, 2018), Europe (De Beer, 2012), Asia (Seth and Lyer, 2021), North America (Watson et al., 2019), Southern America (Pessoa, 2020) and Australia (Jackson, 2019) have encouraged the development of participation approaches that effectively integrate local communities in water catchment management process.…”