The Paradigm Shift in India’s River Policies: From Sacred to Transferable Waters

Abstract

The beliefs and practices of Hinduism are directly tied to many public uses of rivers across India and have been central to the reverence for rivers appearing in religious worship for centuries and nationalist movements and rallies over the last 50 years. There are also a multitude of public uses of rivers apart from widespread worship rituals: washing persons, clothes, and animals; general household consumption; fishing; transportation; and small-scale industry. These combined with small- and large-scale Hindu ritual bathing practices constitute public uses of rivers in India and are distinct from industrial or urban uses in that they are unpriced and sometimes essential to subsistence. Citizens are usually not prevented from using river waters, but the times when and places where they can attain access are sometimes regulated. With the development of private water and hydroelectric projects and the supporting state controls, one might expect that these public uses will be threatened or restricted over time.