Economics, ethics and politics of groundwater: Evidence from West Bengal, India
This paper deals with three different, yet related issues of groundwater use, viz. economics, ethics and politics. One of the most important ethical dilemmas of global groundwater use is that its positive impact on food security, incomes of the poor and poverty alleviation are relatively under-estim...
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| Format: | Conference Paper |
| Language: | Inglés |
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2007
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/38581 |
| _version_ | 1855518910066982912 |
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| author | Mukherji, Aditi |
| author_browse | Mukherji, Aditi |
| author_facet | Mukherji, Aditi |
| author_sort | Mukherji, Aditi |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | This paper deals with three different, yet related issues of groundwater use, viz. economics, ethics and politics. One of the most important ethical dilemmas of global groundwater use is that its positive impact on food security, incomes of the poor and poverty alleviation are relatively under-estimated while the negative externalities are often over-emphasized. The first section of this paper deals with this very ethical dilemma by illustrating how the role of groundwater irrigation in sustaining high agricultural growth rates in West Bengal -- an eastern state of India, has been completely over looked in academic discussions so far. Groundwater irrigation has conferred immense economic benefits in terms of increased access to irrigation, higher cropping intensity and productivity. Informal groundwater based irrigation services markets have played an important role in this regard. The second section, based on primary data collected from 580 respondents in 40 villages in the state, specially focuses on groundwater economics and the impact of groundwater supported private irrigation services markets. The third section of the paper concentrates on groundwater politics. It shows that the dominant discourse in the field of groundwater studies in India has been that of depletion and scarcity so much so that the groundwater policies even in a well-endowed state such as West Bengal has been unduly influenced by this dominant discourse. The result has been that of a paradox: little groundwater regulation where resource conditions are precarious (e.g. Gujarat, Tamil Nadu) and strict regulation where little is needed (e.g. West Bengal). |
| format | Conference Paper |
| id | CGSpace38581 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2007 |
| publishDateRange | 2007 |
| publishDateSort | 2007 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace385812023-09-23T17:44:55Z Economics, ethics and politics of groundwater: Evidence from West Bengal, India Mukherji, Aditi groundwater irrigation water market ethics economic aspects tube wells villages contracts This paper deals with three different, yet related issues of groundwater use, viz. economics, ethics and politics. One of the most important ethical dilemmas of global groundwater use is that its positive impact on food security, incomes of the poor and poverty alleviation are relatively under-estimated while the negative externalities are often over-emphasized. The first section of this paper deals with this very ethical dilemma by illustrating how the role of groundwater irrigation in sustaining high agricultural growth rates in West Bengal -- an eastern state of India, has been completely over looked in academic discussions so far. Groundwater irrigation has conferred immense economic benefits in terms of increased access to irrigation, higher cropping intensity and productivity. Informal groundwater based irrigation services markets have played an important role in this regard. The second section, based on primary data collected from 580 respondents in 40 villages in the state, specially focuses on groundwater economics and the impact of groundwater supported private irrigation services markets. The third section of the paper concentrates on groundwater politics. It shows that the dominant discourse in the field of groundwater studies in India has been that of depletion and scarcity so much so that the groundwater policies even in a well-endowed state such as West Bengal has been unduly influenced by this dominant discourse. The result has been that of a paradox: little groundwater regulation where resource conditions are precarious (e.g. Gujarat, Tamil Nadu) and strict regulation where little is needed (e.g. West Bengal). 2007 2014-06-13T11:42:27Z 2014-06-13T11:42:27Z Conference Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/38581 en Limited Access Mukherji, Aditi. 2007. Economics, ethics and politics of groundwater: Evidence from West Bengal, India. Paper presented at 3rd Marcelino Botin Foundation Water Workshop, Santander, Spain, 12-14 June 2007. 27p. |
| spellingShingle | groundwater irrigation water market ethics economic aspects tube wells villages contracts Mukherji, Aditi Economics, ethics and politics of groundwater: Evidence from West Bengal, India |
| title | Economics, ethics and politics of groundwater: Evidence from West Bengal, India |
| title_full | Economics, ethics and politics of groundwater: Evidence from West Bengal, India |
| title_fullStr | Economics, ethics and politics of groundwater: Evidence from West Bengal, India |
| title_full_unstemmed | Economics, ethics and politics of groundwater: Evidence from West Bengal, India |
| title_short | Economics, ethics and politics of groundwater: Evidence from West Bengal, India |
| title_sort | economics ethics and politics of groundwater evidence from west bengal india |
| topic | groundwater irrigation water market ethics economic aspects tube wells villages contracts |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/38581 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mukherjiaditi economicsethicsandpoliticsofgroundwaterevidencefromwestbengalindia |