This note presents an Agenda for Action for a network organisation in India, which will have close links with the Global Water Partnership and with the proposed South-Asia Water Partnership. The India Water Partnership (IWP) is a network of institutions involved in the water resource management issues. The IWP will promote sustainable use of water resources. Some details:

The emerging water crisis leaves no option but to work hard for integrated water resource management and development (IWRMD) with sustainability as its prime objective. Such a gigantic task can not be accomplished by the government alone. It requires a participatory approach providing adequate scope for contribution by all types for stakeholders, having both competing and complementary interests in throwing up location specific ideas and approaches and taking up or suggesting suitable measures for their implementation. A participatory approach is also useful for generation of awareness about the prevailing and future scenario with respect to water resources.

The stakeholders comprise government and semi-government agencies, public and private sector undertakings, NGOs, educational, training and research institutions, external agencies having branches in India, professional associations etc. having major concerns with various facets of water resources. There is a need for a forum where the different types of stakeholders can exchange their information and vision, debate issues and evolve consensus, suggest or take up measures for implementation. There is also a need for an organisation which would do networking and provide "synthesised knowledge" and "best practices" to all the partners and assist them through appropriate capacity building and funding mechanism, including engendering youth participation for sustainability of efforts in future also.

It has, therefore, been decided to form India Water Partnership to subserve the purposes indicated above. It will function in close collaboration with Global Water Partnership in Stockholm, Sweden and its regional body namely SASTAC, presently located at Aurangabad in India. Details regarding objectives and activities of IWP are as follows:

p     Advocate the recognition of water as a precious and scarce resource
p     Facilitate an enabling environment for all participating groups
p     Promote management and decision-making at the lowest appropriate level.
p     Support sustainable water resource management by collaborating with central and state
        government agencies and existing networks, and by forging new collaborative arrangements.
p     Support governments, ESAs, private sector companies, NGOs and other stakeholders in
        adopting consistent, coherent and practical policies and programmes.
p      Ensure documentation and dissemination of "good practices" based on innovative and effective
        solutions to integrated water resource management issues.
p      Encourage innovation and recognise the need for flexibility in plans and approaches.

1. To identify both thematic and area specific issues for discussion and debate among its partners.

2. To undertake or assist seminars, workshops, conferences and similar such activities related to its objectives in different parts of the country.

3. To conduct, sponsor or assist research projects and programmes (including action research) on subjects related to its objectives in different parts of the country.

4. To launch information dissemination campaigns through print and/or electronic media in different  languages or through educational institutions or any other means.

5. To hold meetings of sub-national level water partnerships at periodic intervals for discussing matters of mutual interest.

6. To provide technical assistance and other support services to sub-national level water partnerships in planning and implementation of their activities related to sustainable and integrated development and management of water resources. Such services would include promotion of "water literacy", provision of "synthesised knowledge" and "best practices", strategic advice on policies, legislation and issues of governance, jurisdiction and accountability, capacity building through seminars, workshops and training programmes, advocacy of rational water related policies, promotion of new institutional frameworks and innovative financial mechanism etc.

The IWP will promote this dialogue on water resource issues by creating fora at regional, state and local levels in India. These fora will be used for discussions on the operationalisation of Dublin/Rio principles; dissemination of experiences on how these principles are actually used in practice; dissemination of "synthesised knowledge" and "Best Practice" in the use of IWRM; and capacity building in IWRM legislation, policies and institutions. In addition, the IWRM will help Indian institutions in mobilisation of financial resources for studies and pilot projects to help in promoting sustainable use of water resources.

The Partnership will be a network of national, sub-national, and local institutions involved in water resource management, e.g. Central government organisations; State government agencies; sub-national groups; Panchayati Raj institutions; associations of industry, trade and business; research institutes, non-government organisations (NGOs) and private sector companies. The network will include external support agencies (ESAs) with interest in water resource issues.

Development Alternatives has been an integral partner in IWP from the beginning, taking active part in the policy and technical work of the Partnership. Many communities in India are water deficit, not only because of growing demand for water arising from additional numbers and new economic activities, but also from severe disruption of local hydrological cycles. From the point of view of many communities, the need is as much for regenerating these local water flows, as it is for transferring water from distant sources or for conservation practices. To do this, urgent work is needed to promote scientific water management systems of the types being set up by Development Alternatives and its partners.

The insights of official agencies and the private sector are not sufficient to take care of the interests of sustainable development and management of natural resources. Civil society organisations have played an outstanding role in the area of forest and wasteland management. It is our view that they should also take greater interest in and a similar level of responsibility for such initiatives for water, energy and other natural resources. IWP represents an excellent opportunity for this. q

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