PM Modi Highlights Gujarat Water Governance Model As Global South Reference

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday highlighted India’s water-governance experience, saying Gujarat’s reforms evolved into national programmes that could offer lessons to countries across the Global South.

Sharing an article titled “From India to Global South, a Gujarat water-governance model” on X, PM Modi said water security requires more than infrastructure. He stressed effective planning, strong local institutions and community participation.

From India, a water-governance model is offering useful lessons for the wider Global South. Water security is not only about building infrastructure but also about good planning, strong local systems and involving communities in managing water.

India’s journey from water reforms in Gujarat to large-scale national programmes offers a practical example for countries looking to improve water management and meet growing water needs.

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— PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 6, 2026

 

“From India, a water-governance model is offering useful lessons for the wider Global South,” PM Modi said. He added that India’s journey from Gujarat’s water reforms to large-scale national programmes offers a practical example for countries addressing rising water needs.

Former Union water resources secretary Parameswaran Iyer, CEEW fellow Nitin Bassi and George Mason University assistant professor Daniel W Smith authored the article, which examines water reforms between 2001 and 2026.

The authors identify four priorities: strengthening governance alongside infrastructure, managing water resources and services together, placing communities at the centre of water management and designing programmes for scale.

They cite the Jal Jeevan Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission, Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Namami Gange, Atal Bhujal Yojana and Per Drop More Crop as key components of India’s water-governance framework.

The article proposes a ‘4 Ps’ approach involving political leadership, public and private financing, partnerships across governments and institutions, and people’s participation.

It cites Gujarat’s Chintan Shivirs as an example of stakeholder-driven water planning that later influenced national-level initiatives.

The authors estimate treated-water sales could generate around Rs 73,000 crore annually by 2047. They further estimate that achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 by 2030 will require an additional $500 billion in annual global investment.

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