Federalism and Inter-State River Water Disputes in India

This book examines the Union-State and inter-State relations concerning water issues in India. It analyses the federal structure in India and looks at its effectiveness in addressing the inter-state river water disputes in the country through three cases: the Cauvery, Krishna and Mahadayi Rivers water dispute. It probes into the physical, political, legal and constitutional measures taken by the Union government and the states to deal with the inter-State and Union-State tussles over inter-State river waters. The author studies the debate over centralisation and decentralisation of water resources, as well as the inter-state river water disputes that have aroused feelings of sub-nationalism in many regions of India. Finally, this book also examines socio-political tensions over multipurpose water projects and other supply-side infrastructures, and their efficacy in addressing India?s increasing water problems.

This book will interest researchers and students of Environmental Politics, Political Science, Public Policy, Environmental Geography, Indian Politics, South Asian Studies, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy, River Management, and Resource politics.

List of Figures viii

Acknowledgements ix

Introduction 1

1 Indian Federalism and Water Resources 36

2 The Cauvery River Water Dispute 82

3 The Krishna River Water Dispute 115

4 The Mahadayi River Water Dispute 148

5 Managing the Rivers and Water Resources in India:

Challenges and Disputes 173

Conclusion 204

Index 217

Amit Ranjan is a research fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore. His latest books include: (with Ian Talbot) Urban Development and Environmental History in Modern South Asia (Routledge, Oxon, 2023), and Contested Waters: India’s Transboundary River Water Disputes in South Asia (Routledge, Oxon and New Delhi, 2021). He is also the author of India-Bangladesh Border Disputes: History and Post-LBA Dynamics (Springer, Singapore, 2018). He has edited the following books: India in South Asia Challenges and Management (Springer, Singapore, 2019), Partition of India: Postcolonial Legacies (Routledge, London and New Delhi, 2019), and Water Issues in Himalayan South Asia: Internal Challenges, Disputes and Transboundary Tensions (Singapore, 2019). His paper review essays and book reviews have been widely published in journals, including Asian Survey, Asian Affairs, Asian Ethnicity, Asian Journal of Comparative Politics, Economic & Political Weekly, India Review, Indian Journal of Public Administration, India Quarterly, Journal of Migration Affairs, Journal of the Indian Ocean Region, The Roundtable: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs, Social Change, Studies in Indian Politics, Society and Culture in South Asia, South Asia Research, Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs, Water History, and World Water Policy.