These meetings built on work begun in 2008 by GWP India and the Arun Institute of Rural Affairs (AIRA) to build micro-area water partnerships (MAWP), local area water partnerships (LAWP) and an area water partnership (AWP) for Ramial and Indrajeet. The partnerships give farmers, fishers and women opportunities to seek out and press for suitable water management arrangements. The LAWPs and AWP have developed a rapport with government officials that paves the way for managing water as a common property in a manner that considers sustainability and the needs of all stakeholders.
Villages involved in basin water management
Meetings of local water partnerships in June 2010 gave community groups in 45 villages in the Ramial and Indrajeet basins opportunities to present on-the-ground water issues that concerned them to revenue, irrigation, and agriculture and fisheries officials.