Strengthening and mobilising community and civil society to assert their right to water

India, Church's Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA)

A member of the Ecumenical Water Network and the ACT Alliance, the Church's Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) in India strengthens and coordinates community and civil society campaigning for the right to water. A dam was constructed on the Mahi River of Banswara region of Rajasthan in the 1970’s as part of the Mahi Bajaj Sagar Multipurpose Hydro Project. Consequently, the water of Mahi Dam is being taken all the way to Gujarat, the neighbouring state, while the villages of Banswara remain dry due to lack of water supply. The local community have been trying for a long time to influence the government to extend the water of Mahi River to their dry lands, before diverting the water to another state.

In the past, much of the villagers’ efforts were in vain as their endeavours were splintered and uncoordinated. Seeing their struggle, CASA decided to guide and facilitate this movement more systematically. It was possible to bring together all voluntary organizations in one platform which later formed a formal body named Mahi Jal Failao Manch – Mahi Water Expansion Forum (MJFM). The Forum’s members now jointly organize meetings with the concerned people, send delegates to the political and government officials in regular intervals, and implement other activities that capacitate and support the affected communities.

While the campaign is still on-going and the goal is not yet achieved, the Forum is hopeful that it will succeed in its efforts. There has been slow and steady progress and the steps taken have united groups, elicited common messaging and ensured stronger community positioning following a Rights Based Approach to water. The steps taken constitute ‘good’ practice in that they have promoted and led to improved participation, increased community empowerment and mobilization, greater human rights awareness as well as more effective civil society coordination and dialogue with responsible public authorities and decision-makers.

→ For more details, download the "Good Practice Questionnaire" that was submitted to the UN Independent Expert on human rights obligation related to water and sanitation in 2010.