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Paper short abstract:

The paper brings to light the complexity involved in locally adopting the global framework of water as a common good.

Paper long abstract:

In 2022, the United Nations released a noteworthy report titled ‘Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible.’ This report garnered widespread appreciation from civil society organisations, scholars, and activists engaged in water accessibility issues, particularly concerning marginalised populations. In 2023, the United Nations declared water a Global Common, aiming to re-emphasise the importance of water and the challenges associated with its availability and accessibility.

Understanding the linkages between these developments, especially regarding their roles in re-centering water in public discourse and addressing the complexities within the water sector is crucial. However, some scholars have raised concerns about using the term ‘global common’ to tackle the challenges of water availability and accessibility.

This paper contends that the acknowledgement of groundwater's significance and the designation of water as a global common must be examined in light of the challenges associated with implementing groundwater-based rural drinking water schemes in India. This is particularly relevant in India, where socioeconomic diversity significantly influences local water accessibility and availability.

The current study, which includes semi-structured interviews with users of rural drinking water schemes in Maharashtra (western India), reveals that social inequality has adversely impacted access to piped drinking water supply schemes, subsequently affecting users' well-being. The study argues that adopting the concept of water as a global common without considering the local social diversity will not effectively address the issues of water accessibility and availability. Instead, it risks becoming another term used to rebrand existing water policies and programs, stripped of their essential meaning.