This chapter examines the evolution of water law and policy in India from prehistoric to present times, briefly outlining pre-colonial developments and focusing on colonial and post-colonial issues and the complexity of regulating water in India. The resulting fragmentation of water law has not been overcome. Water law remains patchy today partly because it is a state subject while being also of concern at the union level and partly because elements of water law are in environment or health laws. Further, division of tasks between various social actors and levels is unclear. Water policy is pushed in a number of different directions, reflecting the specifics of the Indian situation, such as its complex administrative structure, overlapping and sometimes contradictory rights, vastly different endowments in water resources in different regions, and difficulties in allocating water in the most socially and economically appropriate manner.
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Cullet, P., Gupta, J. (2009). India: Evolution of Water Law and Policy. In: Dellapenna, J.W., Gupta, J. (eds) The Evolution of the Law and Politics of Water. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9867-3_10
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