| Summary: | In Gujarat, India, the emerging participatory Water Resource Management (WRM)
policy proposes the establishment of new village-level institutions. The shift towards
decentralisation is indeed welcome; however, gender has for the most part been either
inadequately integrated or limited to discussion of women's formal participation in these
institutions. In select rural villages of the coastal arid-saline region of Gujarat known as the
Bhal, the thesis examines the implications, applications and potential contributions of
women's participation in potable WRM initiatives. The case study concerns two Gujarati
grassroots Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Utthan and Mahiti, that have
facilitated two rainwater harvesting initiatives: common property Plastic Lined Ponds
(PLPs) and private property Roof Water Collection Tanks (RWCTs). Although the
development initiatives are different, both the NGOs have fully encouraged an integrated
gender WRM approach via village-level institutional management of local water resources.
The mainstream Gender, Environment and Development (GED) literature suggests
that local participation, particularly of village women who previously had no official roles
or responsibilities, can be increased by integrating women into village-level institutions
which govern the water resources. However, the research in the Bhal revealed that simply
integrating women into village-level WRM institutions, although beneficial, did not always
achieve the dual goal of increased access to and control of water resources with gender
equitable participation. Yet, in a few of the study villages, where women took collective
action, they did succeed in taking a leadership role in WRM and redistributing power
along gender lines. The case study demonstrates that an integrated gender component is
important not only for increasing the efficiency and sustainability of water resources, but
also.because it provides both the context and the content of many village women's
struggles.
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