I am an environmental human geographer researching groundwater governance in India to identify pathways for just transformations in the era of climate change. This project examines a fundamental tension in western India, where drought (scarcity) and excess water appear side by side. What seems surprising, however, reflects critical issues regarding how surface and groundwater are known and how the politics of local, technical and scientific knowledge affect policy decisions.
Inspired by questions encountered through my experiences of working as a practitioner of groundwater management and governance, with the non-profit organisation ACWADAM in India, in my PhD I explored the politics and processes of groundwater knowledge production, application, and circulation in Maharashtra, India. It was there I encountered the question of ‘excess’ water in drought-prone regions of Maharashtra, as I engaged with groundwater-dependent farming communities, groundwater officials, civil society agencies, practitioners, scientists and consultants to trace which knowledges and practices inform governance. What I found was that drought sat side-by-side with concerns over ‘excess’ water, and that the interaction of groundwater and surface water was key to understanding climate impacts. Building on this, my current project consolidates these findings and develops a new agenda for rethinking the place of groundwater in adaptation to climate change. The project will initiate and contribute to debates and dialogue on these issues through publications in geographical and interdisciplinary journals while broadening the network of researchers working on groundwater politics through organisation of conference panels, delivering seminars and contributing to thematic workshops organised by academic and practitioner networks. The project places significant value on how everyday practices and programmes implemented by state and non-state agencies in India matter to issues of ethics and justice. The project will extend the impact of research beyond academia by engaging in dissemination and dialogue with practitioners, civil society organisations, and state agencies and developing a draft of a book on groundwater issues in the Marathi language.
Research Area (1-6):
RA4: Environment and Sustainability
Publications:
- Joshi. D. (in review). Situating socio-hydrogeology: Towards a transdisciplinary understanding of groundwater monitoring practices in western India.
- Joshi, D. 2022. Book Review: Running out: In search of water on the high plains, Princeton University Press 2022, by Lucas Bessire, Water Alternatives
- Aslekar, U., Joshi, D., & Kulkarni, H. (2022). What are we allocating and who decides? Democratising understanding of groundwater and decisions for judicious allocations in India. Water Resources Allocation and Agriculture.
- Kulkarni, H., Joshi, D., Aslekar, U., & Patil, S. (2021). Catalysing Groundwater Governance Through People’s Participation and Institutional Reform. In Water Governance and Management in India. Springer Singapore.
- Zwarteveen, M., Kuper, M., Olmos-Herrera, C., Dajani, M., Kemerink-Seyoum, J., Frances, C., … & Joshi, D., De Bont, C. (2021). Transformations to groundwater sustainability: from individuals and pumps to communities and aquifers. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 49, 88-97.
- Joshi D., Kulkarni H., and Aslekar U (2019). Bringing Aquifers and Communities Together: Decentralised Groundwater Governance in Rural India. In Water Governance: Challenges and Prospects, pp. 157-185. Springer
- Kulkarni H., Aslekar U., Joshi D. (2018) Specific Yield of Unconfined Aquifers in Revisiting Efficiency of Groundwater Usage in Agricultural Systems. In: Saha D., Marwaha S., Mukherjee A. (eds) Clean and Sustainable Groundwater in India. Springer Hydrogeology. Springer, Singapore
- Joshi, D and Aslekar, U. (2018). Understanding the triggers of groundwater competition in Maharashtra. Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 53, Issue No. 2.
- Joshi, D. (2017). Promoting Farm Ponds. Economic & Political Weekly, 52(16), 71.
Social Media Links:
Blog: https://groundwaterandbeyond.blog
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dhavalgy