An analysis found that Union allocations for the water sector increased from 0.8 per cent of the total Union Budget in 2001-02 to 2.2 per cent in 2025-26. Across rural India, 464 million more people now have access to safely managed drinking water than in 2000, while rural household tap-water coverage has increased from 17 per cent in 2019 to more than 80 per cent in 2026.
The analysis, titled ‘From Gujarat to India: Water Lessons for the World’, was launched at IIM Bangalore. It was prepared by Daniel W. Smith, former secretary of the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India, and assistant professor at George Mason University, and Nitin Bassi, fellow at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). The study documents the evolution of water governance in Gujarat and India between 2001 and 2026, and examines its experiences and lessons for policymakers and practitioners across the Global South.
The analysis highlights Gujarat’s model of water conservation and its efficiency. Gujarat’s approach combined the Narmada-based water grid with institutions such as WASMO and village-level Pani Samitis, alongside large-scale water conservation and groundwater recharge efforts. By 2013, the state had constructed more than 76,000 check dams under the Sardar Patel Water Conservation Programme.
The study traces how elements of this experience later informed national initiatives, including the Jal Jeevan Mission, Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Namami Gange, Atal Bhujal Yojana, Per Drop More Crop and AMRUT. In 2019, the creation of the Ministry of Jal Shakti provided a consolidated institutional framework for drinking water, sanitation and water-resource management.
“Ensuring water for every citizen has been a priority for the government,” said Ashok K. Meena, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.
“When water becomes a people’s mission, backed by strong institutions, steady investment and Gram Panchayat ownership, change follows at scale. What began in one state has become a national commitment, and work will be relentless until safe, reliable water reaches every household in the country,” said Meena.
A central conclusion of the study is that water security is as much a governance challenge as an engineering challenge. Infrastructure must be underpinned by the 4Ps: political leadership, public financing, partnerships and people’s participation. The seeds of these lessons were sown in Gujarat starting in 2001 and were subsequently scaled up across the country under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
Daniel W. Smith, co-author and Assistant Professor at George Mason University, described India’s water journey and the model it has created as an example for the Global South.
“The central message is that water security at scale requires strong water governance. Countries across the world can learn from these governance lessons and adapt them to their own circumstances as they work towards universal and sustainable water security,” said Smith.