LAUSR

Abstract In June, the Government of India (GOI) stated that the country is experiencing a severe water crisis in recorded history. We show here how the GOI continues to sideline underlying causes of the water crisis. Many government-led reports, schemes, and campaigns view large and small dams, micro-irrigation, and the presence of regulatory frameworks as capable of enhancing storage and curbing unsustainable water use. Such interventions are said to enable entire regions and communities in resisting crisis conditions. Efforts that increase the aggregated (volumetric) amount or equalize “supply-demand” gaps will, however, not necessarily disrupt water’s unequal distribution and access – a poorly recognized, yet central feature of the water crisis. A more comprehensive approach focuses not only on remedying the outcome of hydrological unavailability, but also on the underlying institutional causes driving water’s inaccessibility. We call upon activists, civil society groups, and researchers to continue sustaining pressure on government institutions to address the causes of differentiated water insecurities.