Ecology, Economy and Society–the INSEE Journal 1 (2): 67–68, July 2018 

 
CONVERSATIONS 1: Water Governance  
 

Emerging Knowledge Should Prevail in Water 
Governance 
 

Jayanta Bandyopadhyay   
 
Water governance has become a complex problem. Water professionals in 
most parts of the world have used new knowledge and perceptions to 
address this growing problem. The Conversation makes it clear that such a 
transition is yet to arrive in formal water governance in India. I had in an 
article earlier (Bandyopadhyay 2012) described this situation in India as 
‘hydrological obscurantism’.  

In this Conversation, Ghosh makes a strong case for such a transition 
based on new water science, and Shah actually provides a road map for 
such a transition, articulating the legislative and institutional transitions 
needed. Steps for realizing such a transition are, unfortunately, not to be 
seen and the ‘obscurantism’ remains in practice. Arthington relates the 
global degradation of aquatic ecosystems like streams, rivers, lakes, 
wetlands, groundwater-dependent ecosystems, etc. to large water storage 
and transfer projects. Her articulation of and stress on the need for 
protection of the aquatic ecosystems by taking a scientific and holistic 
approach to ‘environmental flows’ is crucial. This is very much needed in 
the case of India.  

The Conversation actually makes it clear that in addressing the grave 
challenges in water governance in India, replacement of the obscure 
perception of water governance as practised by a more informed and 

 
 Editor and Coordinator for this Conversations section. Former Professor of Indian 
Institute of Management, Calcutta, Diamond Harbour Road, Joka, Kolkata, India 700104; 

jayanta@iimcal.ac.in 

Copyright © Bandyopadhyay 2018. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-

NonCommercial 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC 4.0) by the author.  

Published by Indian Society for Ecological Economics (INSEE), c/o Institute of Economic 

Growth, University Enclave, North Campus, Delhi 110007.  

ISSN: 2581-6152 (print); 2581-6101 (web). 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37773/ees.v1i2.35  

https://doi.org/10.37773/ees.v1i2.35


Ecology, Economy and Society–the INSEE Journal [68] 

 

holistic one is the need of the hour. The initial direction of such a transition 
is already available, as Shah and Ghosh have described. 

REFERENCES 

Bandyopadhyay, Jayanta. 2012. “Water Science in India: Hydrological 
Obscurantism.” Economic and Political Weekly XLVII (16): 45-47