Canal Commands and Rising Inequity

Abstract

Public sector irrigation is rapidly changing in India, and the state of Maharashtra is no exception to this. Public sector irrigation projects that were designed independently of groundwater are increasingly being used to harness ground- water. This has been a gradual ongoing process which has shifted benefits from public to private. Increasing use of groundwater in canal commands has huge implications for equity, both in terms of direct access to water and decision-making in its use and allocation, and also indirectly, in terms of changing land and labour relations. Changing discourse in the water policy, prioritising the private over public interests is contributing substantially to these inequities. Without wanting to suggest that water inequities are an outcome of the present neoliberal framework alone, this article reflects the concern that the neo-liberal language has become dominant in steering water policies and programmes that hold implications for water access, allocations and decision-making. This article uses examples from canal irrigation projects in Maharashtra and the emerging policies around its governance to highlight the increasing privatisation of a public resource.