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Paradigmatic dimension of water access denial in Mumbai: Examining the 'Water for All' policy

Paroma Wagle
Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Virginia Tech, Arlington, VA, USA; paroma@vt.edu

ABSTRACT: Mumbai’s 2022 'Water for All' policy contravenes the 2010 United Nations General Assembly recognition of the human right to water as well as UN Sustainable Development Goal 6. The rationale underlying this contravention is rooted in requirements of what we refer to in this paper as the 'centralised infrastructure paradigm' to which Mumbai’s municipal authorities subscribe. This paradigm places sole emphasis on large, centralised equipment and systems, while what we call here the 'UN institutional paradigm of the human rights to water' – drawn from formal UN documents – provides a conceptual framework, practical guidelines and policy analysis tools for positioning the human right to water at the centre of the policies and practices that govern the water distribution sector. The paper underscores the need in the Global South to replace the dominant urban water distribution concepts of 'water connections' and 'dwellings' with a focus on 'water access' and 'human beings'. It provides a paradigmatic explanation for the chronic denial of water access to Mumbai’s slumdwellers. Based on an analysis of formal documents, academic literature, and data from interviews with experts, officials and activists, the paper suggests a new paradigmatic perspective for further research on water sector policies; it also encourages policymakers and activists to become sensitised to the covert and overt influences of different paradigms on policies.

KEYWORDS: Water policy, water access, human rights, paradigms, infrastructure, Mumbai, India