Governance of water in mid-hills of Upper Teesta basin
Student name: Ms Aprajita Singh
Guide: Dr M P Ram Mohan
Year of completion: 2016
Host Organisation: The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI), New Delhi
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Navarun Varma
Abstract: This work seeks to understand the governance of water in Sikkim from various perspectives. To begin with, it tries to understand the policies that are in place that influence governance of water in the state, and how they derive from policies at the national level. Further, it focusses on a spring rejuvenation scheme in the mid hills region of Sikkim, that is the South and West district, as a lens through which to understand the organizational structure of water governance. Social network analysis is used to understand the distribution of power and how the various actors involved interact with each other in order to achieve the desired solution to the problem at hand, which in this case is the drying up of springs. Springs are the most important source of water for a large proportion of the population of the state of Sikkim and are increasingly under threat from a host of issues, including climate change. The Gram Panchayat and the Rural Development Department emerge as the key actors around which the network is built. To complement the network analysis, the governance of water and the implementation of the spring rejuvenation scheme are examined through case studies in South and West Sikkim, exposing gaps and shortcomings in governance as well as successes. The nuances of governance of water on both field sites vary with local contexts.
Key words: Water, Governance, Social Network Analysis, Springs, Climate Change
