Resource Material in a Nutshell · Resource Material in a Nutshell by Medhavi Sharma Introduction to the Series Readings Section 1: Gender and Water – Key Concepts 1.1 Gender and

Resource Material in a Nutshell

by Medhavi Sharma

Introduction to the Series

Readings

Section 1: Gender and Water – Key Concepts

1.1 Gender and Development: Concepts and Definitions

1.2 Gender Matters

Any analysis of water resources management is incomplete without integrating the gender dimension. Gender issues form one of the crucial but underestimated aspects of natural resources management, water being no exception. The differences in the social privileges enjoyed by men vis-à-vis women, and the implicit assumption that women will benefit from her husband's improved access to water have done much harm to women rights to water. It is precisely these differences which make women such an integral part of any natural resource management intervention and hence the thrust worldwide on gendered analysis of the same has gained recognition. This section talks about the multifarious aspects of gender and water exploring the key issues like gender in domestic water and sanitation, gender and irrigation, gender and climate change, and gender and water policy by means of selected writings. These issues though by no means exhaustive are some of the key concerns around which water policies are designed.

Any analysis pertaining to gender must first delve into the understanding of the concept. What is gender? What does gender equality entail? Does the term 'gender' simply mean women? Is water a gender issue? What is gender mainstreaming and why is it relevant to the water sector? Why does the demand for integrating gender into water projects arise? What are its ramifications for women and water in South Asia? The following section aims to answer these questions by giving a succinct understanding of the key concepts of gender and the gendered terrain of water management.

As discussed before the knowledge of what exactly the term gender stands for and what all it entails is crucial at the outset to delve into the nuances of gender in water sector. The field of gender and development incorporates many aspects of planning and management, and therefore it is important to gain knowledge of key concepts central to it. This paper presents some key concepts central to gender and development that are crucial to understand both the nuances of the subject and its policy implications. The paper gives a brief overview of some concepts like gender analysis, gender needs, gender training, women's empowerment etc. and then goes on to provide the detailed explanation for each along with suggested readings.

Reference: Reeves, Hazel and Sally Baden. 2000. 'Gender and Development: Concepts and Definitions', Report p repared fo r Depar tment fo r In te rna t iona l Deve lopment (DFID) . Ava i lab le on l ine a t http://www.bridge.ids.ac.uk/reports/re55.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

This chapter from Environmental Education & Communication for a Sustainable World: Handbook for International Practitioners highlights the important issues to be considered while designing and implementing education and communication programmes for women. It gives details on integrating gender concerns right from the inception phase of the project to the monitoring and evaluation phase. Stressing on the differences between the strategic and practical gender needs it presents ways to streamline research methodologies to address gender concerns and gives some key variable for gender analysis. Four case studies have been included to strengthen reader's understanding to gender issues in project planning from around the world.

Reference: Grieser, Mona and Barbara Rawlin. 2000. 'Gender Matters', in Brian A. Day and Martha C. Monroe (ed) Environmental Education & Communication for a Sustainable World: Handbook for International Practitioners, pp. 23-32. Washington, D.C. : Academy for Educat ional Development . Avai lable onl ine a t http://www.envcomm.org/pdf/chap4.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

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1.3 Role of Men and Boys in Promoting Gender Equality

1.4 'Men-streaming' Gender? Questions for Gender and Development Policy in the Twenty-First Century

1.5 Women and Water: An Ethical Issue

1.6 Mainstreaming Gender in Water Resources Management: Why and How

The aim of achieving gender equality in any sphere cannot be achieved without men's involvement. Socially constructed norms and the male superiority over women in many cultures especially South Asia can only be dealt with when both men and women are kept at the forefront of bringing a paradigm attitudinal change. Water management arena is fraught with the notions of male hegemonies and the onus of bringing any change cannot be put on the women alone. Based on this premise this policy brief presents key rationales, principles, challenges and actionable strategies to integrate men for achieving gender equality.

Reference: Chattopadhay, Tamo. 2009. 'Role of Men and Boys in Promoting Gender Equality', Advocacy Brief, Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL). Bangkok: United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Available online athttp://www2.unescobkk.org/elib/publications/Role_of_Men_and_Boys/Role_of_Men_and_Boys.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

Gender is usually equated with women alone. This is manifested in many water projects also where gender mainstreaming usually means including more women into the project implementation. This paper argues that the “male blindness” in the development sector has inhibited gender development to a great extent. It is important to understand that any intervention that seeks to address the male hegemony cannot do so without addressing the underlying patriarchal foundations of the society. For this purpose it is imperative to move out of the “women-only' approach to gender that has been hitherto followed. The paper builds on interviews with over 40 representatives from nearly 30 development organisations, agencies, foundations and consultancies in Britain and the USA in 1999. It also highlights ways to include men in the gender and development.

Reference: Chant, Sylvia and Matthew C. Gutmann. 2002. 'Men-streaming' Gender? Questions for Gender and Development Policy in the Twenty-first Century', Progress in Development Studies, Vol. 2, No.4, pp. 269-282. Available online athttp://www.arts.ualberta.ca/~courses/PoliticalScience/670A1/documents/ChantandGutmannMen-streamingGenderQuesGenderandDev21stc.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

The ethical issues emerging from the role of women in water use, and from related social and environmental problems are seldom documented in the mainstream literature. This document traces the interlinkages between water and women, and their role in providing food security in the background of right to water. It explores the role of natural resources management and the impact of environmental degradation on women's life. The paper argues that due to their multiple roles vis-à-vis water women can contribute immensely in building rational attitude towards water in the younger generation among other things. It recognises that, “women have an important role to play in promoting a new attitude towards the use of water resources, based not only on technical knowledge, but also on cultural and ethical values.”

Reference: Aureli, Alice and Caludine Brelet. 2004. 'Women and Water: An Ethical Issue’, Series on Water and Ethics, Essay 4. Paris: UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation). Available online at http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001363/136357e.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

This document gives an exhaustive account of gender issues in water management. Citing examples from the field the paper argues that a gendered approach in water management will not only see benefits accrued to women but also to the environment and the society at large. In advocating the gender approach the paper argues that differential power relations exist within a community. The paper puts forth strong evidences to show women's overwhelming but often neglected contribution to the water sector worldwide. The paper then goes on to present the nuances of a gender approach followed by four experiences from the field on the “gender approach in action.” It concludes by summarising the benefits of gendered freshwater management approach.

Reference: Maharaj, Niala, Kusum Athukorala, Mariela Gracia Vargas and Gabriella Richardson. 1999. 'Mainstreaming Gender in Water Resources Management: Why and How', Background paper for World Vision Process. Paris: World Water Vision Unit. Available online at http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/forum-sustdev/francis%20paper.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

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1.7 Why Gender Matters? A Tutorial for Water Managers

1.8 Reflections on Water: Gender and Governance in Indian Development

1.9 Gender Roles and Multiple Uses of Water in North Gujarat

1.10 Men's Roles, Gender Relations, and Sustainability in Water Supplies: Some Lessons from Nepal

Integrating gender into water policies requires an understanding of why gender concerns are important to address in the first place. This tutorial addresses two pertinent issues viz. how integrating gender enhances efficiency, and addresses environmental sustainability. Moving from a broader analysis of gender and water sector the tutorial provides elaborate sectoral analysis for water supply, sanitation, agriculture, and environment. It is aimed at helping capacity builders to include gender issues in their training and educational programmes.

Reference: Cap-Net and GWA (Gender and Water Alliance). 2006. 'Why Gender Matters: A Tutorial for Water Managers. Multimedia CD and Booklet', Cap-Net International Network for Capacity Building in Integrated Water Resources Management, Delft. Available online at http://www.unwater.org/downloads/why_gender_matters.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

The paper attempts to look at the issue of water governance through the gender lens. It talks about water governance in a cultural domain and makes a case for gender mainstreaming in the process. The author carefully builds the issues of water governance in South Asia. Talking about gender she reiterates the fact that while water is a common property resource, but its governance regime may not be participatory. With respect to South Asia the main issue in water governance according to the author is of governance. The author summarise by addressing some of the persisting challenges facing gender integration in water governance. In most cases, she points out, gender participation in schemes and projects is only seen as additionality and not an integral component. Also an absence of gender disaggregated data is a huge impediment in the way of sound decision making. She recommends that comprehensive strategies need to be put in place for gender in international, national regional and local institutions, including government, donor and civil society organisations. Training is one particular area in which women can be empowered through technically equipping them to handle the maintenance of water projects.

Reference: Dutt, Kuntala Lahiri. 2003. 'Reflections on Water: Gender and Governance in Indian Development', Development Bulletin, Vol. 63, pp. 50-55. Available online athttp://rspas.anu.edu.au/gwn/resources/reflections_on_water_article.pdf (accessed in February 2011).

This case study explores the multiple uses of water resources. A women's role with respect to water use often comes under the ambit of non-productive uses like washing, livestock rearing, maintain kitchen gardens etc. Drawing mainly on the field work done in six villages in Banaskantha district of north Gujarat, the paper shows how women's use of water for multiple purposes sustains or can sustain the household economy. For e.g. in the study it was found that in villages where agriculture was rainfed, irregular household income was supplemented with women's income from dairy. The author argues that the implicit assumption that women will benefit from her husband's access to improved water is not only flawed but also an impediment to women's access to water. She recommends that recognising women's multiple roles in the domestic as well as the productive domain can help strengthen women's bargaining power in inter and intra household issues.

Reference: Upadhyay, Bhavana. 2004. 'Gender Roles and Multiple Uses of Water in North Gujarat', Working Paper 70, C o l o m b o : I n t e r n a t i o n a l Wa t e r M a n a g e m e n t I n s t i t u t e ( I W M I ) . Av a i l a b l e o n l i n e a t http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Publications/Working_Papers/working/WOR70.pdf (accessed in April 2011).

The paper uses empirical evidences from the field study done in Nepal to establish that despite the thrust on strategic involvement of women in drinking water projects their actual involvement in the planning and implementation process remain tokenistic. While generally they are not represented in water user committees, they are mostly unaware of their roles and responsibilities even when present. The paper also highlights a pertinent issue that how exclusion of women in the planning phase of the project can have negative consequences for them. In this particular case many women reported an increase in drudgery of carrying water due to unsuitable tap location. The paper highlights the hegemonic masculine nature of water access and illustrates how it leads to failure in meeting the gender inclusive goals of water supply projects.

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Reference: Regmi, Shibesh Chandra and Ben Fawcett. 2001. 'Men's Roles, Gender Relations, and Sustainability in Water Supplies: Some Lessons from Nepal', in Sweetman, Caroline (ed). Men's Involvement in Gender and Development Policy and Practice: Beyond Rhetoric, Oxfam Working Papers, pp. 52-55. Available online at http://www.wateraid.org/documents/plugin_documents/nepalmenwomenrolesgender.pdf (accessed in July 2011).

This paper gives a broad understanding of the interlinkages between women and water and stresses on the need to build gender informed water policies. It gives an account of gender in the water sector covering significant issues like transboundary waters and hydrometerologic disasters. While exploring these linkages the author highlights the major impediments in forming gender inclusive water policies and the gaps that exist in looking at the water sector though gender equity lens.

Reference: Francis, Jennifer and Sybille Jahn. 2001. 'Integrating Gender Perspectives: Realising New Options for Improved Water Management – Gender Implications.' Paper presented in International Conference on Freshwater, Bonn-2001. Available online at http://www.bvsde.paho.org/bvsarg/i/fulltext/gender4/gender4.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

This document summarises the research funded by the DFID (Department for International Development) focusing on the rural areas of India and Nepal to assess the extent to which drinking water supply projects make a difference in the lives of the poor, especially women. The research findings suggest that the current domestic water supply programmes are based on misconstrued notions of gender and hence not only fail to address the gendered exclusion of water access but also reproduces the existing inequalities. Drawing examples from the domestic water project, in India and Nepal it exposes the notions about women empowerment which are the objectives of such projects. The project guidelines often perceive women as a homogenous group and there are no indicators to measure the representation from the socially excluded backward classes. Even in the areas where the project had successfully been able to achieve women representation, there were no concomitant visible changes in the status of the women. The paper also presents recommendations for the actors at the policy as well as community level to integrate the gender concerns into policy making effectively.

Reference: Wallace, Tina. 2003. 'Water – A Gender Issue: Findings from Research in India and Nepal', Institute of Irrigation and Development Studies School of Civil Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton. Available online at http://users.ox.ac.uk/~cccrw/working%20papers/wallace1.pdf (accessed in May 2011).

There is much evidence to suggest that women are the primary collectors of water in whole of South Asia. Although the policy discourse has recognised this role of women, it has not come without its own peril. Women's role in government water schemes has largely been reduced to water collectors while undermining their potential for involving them in the decision making process. The technological interventions which do not take into account the social, economic and familial constraints of a society with respect to women, may lead to unfair outcomes for them. This section presents some papers which discuss the gender issues of drinking water and sanitation.

This paper argues that caste and gender based inequities in the water sector have been not addressed and to some extent been reproduced in the new demand and supply based drinking water management regime. Based on her experiences in the Kumao region of Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal the author presents how male hegemony is reflected in household responsibilities including water in rural India. Implicit in the project planning is the recognition of women as water carriers thus adding a further project related burden on them. She then explores the gender caste complexities with respect to water with the help of examples of historic injustice meted out to the lower caste (Dalit) women and how the handing over of water management regime to different actors has brought little if any change to the situation. Carefully analysing the concept of traditional environmentalism which envisages how traditionally community managed water

1.11 Integrating Gender Perspectives: Realising New Options for Improved Water Management – Gender Implications

1.12 Water – A Gender Issue: Findings from Research in India and Nepal

Section 2: Gender and Drinking Water and Sanitation

2.1 Caste, Gender and the Rhetoric of Reform in India's Drinking Water Sector

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systems has been inclusive with respect to caste and gender. In the efforts to improve the older supply and management schemes, the new ones often end up reinforcing the existing caste and gender based inequalities. The paper concludes by emphasising the need for visualising caste implications on gender by the water policy planners.

Reference: Joshi, Deepa. 2011. 'Caste, Gender and the Rhetoric of Reform in India's Drinking Water Sector', Economic and Political Weekly: Review of Women's Studies, Vol. 46, No. 18, pp. 56-63. Available online at http://beta.epw.in/static_media/PDF/archives_pdf/2011/04/RW_XLVI_18_300411_Deepa_Joshi.pdf (accessed in May 2011).

This paper draws attention to a grossly neglected area of WASH: menstrual hygiene. Maintaining hygiene during menstruation is of prime importance for ensuring good health among girls and women. This invariably requires access to appropriate water, sanitation and hygiene services, including clean water for washing cloth used to absorb menstrual blood and having a place to dry them, access to a private place to change cloth or disposable sanitary pads, facilities to dispose of used cloths and pads, and access to information to understand the menstrual cycle and how to manage menstruation hygienically. Despite its importance this issue has been neglected in the policies including the Total Sanitation Campaign by the Government of India. Building on various examples from across Asia the paper illustrates the lack of knowledge among women and girls and the social taboo associated with menstruation. It further assesses its impact on girl's education, health and consequently on the developmental goals. The paper concludes by suggesting some measures to integrate menstrual hygiene in WASH like low cost sanitary pads and reiterates the need for empowering women to do away with the taboos related to menstruation to further the development goals.

Reference: Mahon, Therese and Maria Fernandes. 2010. 'Menstrual Hygiene in South Asia: A Neglected Issue for WA S H ( Wa t e r , S a n i t a t i o n a n d H y g i e n e ) P r o g r a m m e s ' , R e p o r t . Av a i l a b l e o n l i n e a t http://www.wateraid.org/documents/plugin_documents/menstrual_hygiene_in_south_asia_1.pdf (accessed in June 2011).

Community water supply programmes are perceived to be instrumental in extending access to improved water supply for all to increase stakeholder participation in governance of water resources. The aim of such schemes among other things is to improve the access of women to water. However with their focus on technological aspects these schemes often undermine the socio-cultural factors which shape the real access to water. Women are perceived as a homogenous group and not as one divided by caste, poverty, geography and wealth. This paper analyses one such scheme in India, the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP). The authors through their research in 15 villages in three states explore the validity of the common assumption that ensuring water supply increases women's access to it. The study establishes that water access is governed by community dynamics and not everybody benefits from community water supply programmes equally. Drawing from similar experiences in other field villages, the authors emphasise the need for redefining the goals of ARWSP from mere numerical figures to using indicators which represent actual access to water by women.

Reference: Bhattacharya, Jacks and Jan-Erik Gustafsson . 2003. 'Women and Water: A Pol icy Assessment ' , Water Pol icy , Vol . 5 , No.3 pp . 289-304 . Avai lab le on l ine a t http://www.bvsde.paho.org/bvsacd/cd29/women-policy.pdf (accessed in March 2011).

This paper deals with the gendered consequences of arsenic crisis in Bangladesh which is believed to be the worst case of endemic arsenic contamination in the world. Dwelling on the fact that poorer households have a higher morbidity and mortality related to arsenicosis the paper explores its physical and social impact on women due to their subordinate status. The paper argues that the health implications of arsenicosis are severely gendered since even when unwell the women are expected to perform the household duties. In some instances the affected women are also socially ostracised Arsenic contamination also has implications for productive and reproductive duties of women. The paper concludes by emphasising the need to look at arsenic contamination in a broader socio-economic context and devise mitigation strategies accordingly.

2.2 Menstrual Hygiene in South Asia: A Neglected Issue for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) Programmes

2.3 Women and Water: A Policy Assessment

2.4 Gendered Waters, Poisoned Wells: Political Ecology of the Arsenic Crisis in Bangladesh

Singh, Nandita, Prosun Gunnar

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Reference: Sultana, Farhana. 2006. 'Gendered Waters, Poisoned Wells: Political Ecology of the Arsenic Crisis in Bangladesh', in K. Lahiri-Dutt (ed), Fluid Bonds: Views on Gender and Water, pp. 362-386. Kolkata: Stree Publishers. Available online at http://www.farhanasultana.com/publications/Sultana_FluidBonds_chapter.pdf (accessed in June 2011).

This policy brief was developed by the Inter-agency Task Force on Gender and Water (GWTF), a sub-programme of both UN-Water and the Interagency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE) in support of the International Decade for Action, 'Water for Life,' 2005–2015. The document chalks out the current status of gender and water policy initiatives across the globe and also highlights the issues of particular concern with respect to same like access to sanitation and basic land rights. Towards the ends it also gives some recommendations for action to specific actors like the national governments, regional/local governments, communities and civil society organisations, donors and international organisations. The policy brief also includes interesting case studies on gender and water from all over the world.

Reference: Inter Agency Task Force on Gender and Water (GWTF). 2006. 'UN Water: Gender, Water and Sanitation: A Policy Brief'. Available online at http://www.unwater.org/downloads/unwpolbrief230606.pdf (accessed in July 2011).

The 15 case studies presented in this handbook depict best practices in securing sustainable safe drinking water and sanitation for communities by engaging both men and women as critical stakeholders. With respect to India, two case studies have been provided The first deals with mainstreaming gender concerns into the organisational policy by the Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation (BAIF) which was earlier lacking. BAIF took up the capacity building of women staff and instituted committees to look into gender issues. The second case study presents the successful case of Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu where an NGO Gramalaya worked towards the sanitation issues in slums keeping women as the focal point of change and dissemination. This document is a very important resource material since all the case studies highlight the key factors of success, main obstacles and ways to scale-up or transfer the success stories.

Reference: UN (United Nations). 2006. 'Gender, Water and Sanitation: Case Studies on Best Practice'. Available online at http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/sdissues/water/casestudies_bestpractices.pdf (accessed in July 2011).

The paper argues that the strategic and practical gender needs of women vis-à-vis the drinking water sector are interlinked and the drinking water supply projects should direct their programmes to fulfil these two separate but crucial aspects. The arguments are based on the findings of a two-year research project carried out for a DFID (Department for International Development) funded project in Nepal which focused on the eastern, western and mid-western regions, and on both gravity-flow schemes (in the hills), and point sources (on the Tarai plains). The paper presents several examples to illustrate the absence of women in Nepal from the strategic planning of the water delivery scheme. The paper argues that changes in the gender division of labour are not only likely to increase women's participation but also ensure the sustainability of the scheme. It also points out at the importance of income generation activities through such schemes which can be used to empower women.

Reference: Fawcett, Ben and Shibesh Regmi. 1999. 'Integrating Gender Needs into Drinking Water Projects in Nepal', Gender and Development, Vol. 7.3, pp.62-72. Available online at http://www.wateraid.org/documents/integrating_gender_needs.pdf (accessed in March 2011).

Through the case study of a rural drinking water supply scheme in rural Rajasthan this paper illustrates how neo-liberal schemes tend to reinforce the existing inequalities in the society. The author through this paper accounts for the social, environmental and political implications of not counting girls as water consumers before marriage. Though a common phenomenon in the study villages the author uses this to understand the deeper implications it has on gender and equity. For e.g. she opines that excluding girl child as water users renders them invisible as citizens giving rise to an unequal social order. The paper tries to find answers to some of the questions like: “What are the implications of girls' non-payment for the cost of drinking water in a shared system? What might girls' non-payment mean in terms of the gendered sustainability goals of the project? What are the implications for the environment at large?”

2.5 UN Water: Gender, Water and Sanitation - A Policy Brief

2.6 Gender, Water and Sanitation: Case Studies on Best Practices

2.7 Integrating Gender Needs into Drinking Water Projects in Nepal

2.8 They Are Not of This House: The Gendered Costs of Drinking Water's Commodification

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Reference: O' Reilly, Kathleen. 2011. 'They Are Not of This House': The Gendered Costs of Drinking Water's Commodification', Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 46, No. 18, pp. 49-55. Available online at http://beta.epw.in/static_media/PDF/archives_pdf/2011/04/RW_XLVI_18_300411_Kathleen_OReilly_2.pdf (accessed in May 2011).

This case study gives a detailed account of a successful implementation of Community Managed Toilets (CMT) scheme in Tiruchirappalli district of Tamil Nadu and its connotations for empowering women. When the onus of management of community toilets fell on the women not only they delivered the task to the best of their capacity but also used this opportunity for personal and community development. This case proves that keeping women at the helm of water and sanitation related projects not only benefits them in terms of health and hygiene but can be an entry point for them to work for larger goals of community development. The document with its detailed account of CMT scheme implementation is a handy resource for people working in the WASH sector.

Reference: WaterAid. 2008. 'Tiruchirappalli Shows the Way: Community-Municipal Corporation-NGO Partnership for City-Wide Pro-Poor Slums' Infrastructure Improvement', A Report prepared by Gramalaya and WaterAid. New Delhi: WaterAid Available online athttp://www.wateraid.org/documents/plugin_documents/tiruchirappalli_shows_the_way.pdf (accessed in February 2011).

Women's secure access to water and land is central to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, in particular Goal 1 (reducing by half the proportion of people living in extreme poverty and hunger by 2015) and Goal 3 (promoting gender equality and empowering women). Dwelling on the above premise this document by the IFAD (International Fund for Agriculture Development) examines women's role as water users, and water and livelihood managers. Using the experience from IFAD supported projects and programmes it traces the impact of water-related projects on women. It also offers recommendations on how equitable development and gender mainstreaming can be used to further women's access to water resources. The document elaborates on five cases from Africa and South Asia to highlight the innovative activities that have helped to address gender issues in water programmes and projects.

Reference: Wahaj, Robina and Maria Hartl. 2007. 'Gender and Water – Securing Water for Improved Rural Livelihoods: The Multiple-Uses System Approach', Paper prepared for IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development). Rome: IFAD. Available online at http://www.ifad.org/gender/thematic/water/gender_water.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

This empirical study aims to evaluate the actual level of participation by women and the impact of WaterAid Nepal (WAN) and Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH) project on community water supply. One of the major findings of the study is that while the aforementioned organisations have been successful in mobilising women for participatory water management programmes, post programme the participation of women is less. While highlighting some positive cases of women empowerment the paper also chalks out some serious impediments to women participation.

Reference: WaterAid Nepal. 2009. 'Seen But Not Heard. A Review of the Effectiveness of the Gender Approaches in Water and Sanitation Service Provision.' Available online athttp://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/wa_nep__gender_study_report_july_2009.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

This review by the Water and Sanitation Programme (WSP) brings forth the experiences in mainstreaming gender at various levels in the water and sanitation sector. Divided into six sections it touches upon the experiences of mainstreaming gender with sector operations, as well as addressing gender in service delivery in urban areas and rural water operations. It also traces the gender responses to monitoring and evaluation process and hygiene and behaviour change programme. The review examines the linkages between water, sanitation and HIV/AIDS. The document also

2.9 Tiruchirappalli Shows the Way: Community-Municipal Corporation-NGO Partnership for City-Wide Pro-Poor Slums' Infrastructure Improvement

2.10 Gender and Water – Securing Water for Improved Rural Livelihoods: The Multiple-Uses System Approach

2.11 Seen But Not Heard: A Review of the Effectiveness of Gender Approaches in Water and Sanitation Service Provision

2.12 Gender in Water and Sanitation

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provides good practices in gender mainstreaming while also providing a checklist in the form of questions to summarise the key points that need to be considered while mainstreaming gender in water projects.

Reference: WSP (Water and Sanitation Programme). 2010. 'Gender and Water in Sanitation', Working Paper. Available online at http://www.wsp.org/wsp/sites/wsp.org/files/publications/WSP-gender-water-sanitation.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

This paper seeks to answer the pertinent question as to whether an increased water access translates into enhanced gender equality. Based on the review of existing literature, the author explores the premise and highlights the major impediments in the way of an effective gender approach to water management. Citing examples the author maintains that while greater water access may lead to improvement in the quality of life of a woman it may not result into strategic gains for her with respect to better decision making power. This in turn puts the project sustainability at great risk. The author makes a case for using an empowering participatory approach to integrate effective gender perspectives into policy planning while undertaking impact studies and post project assessments to monitor the strategic progress achieved by projects that claim to address gender issues.

Reference: Ivens, Sasika. 2008. 'Does Increased Water Access Empower Women?', Society for International Development, Vol. 51, No. 1, pp. 63-67. Available online at https://www.amherst.edu/media/view/92325/original/does%2Bwater%2Baccess%2Bempower%2Bwomen%253F.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

This paper, based on evidences collected through an empirical research, explores the role of women in the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) in the Yavatmal district of Maharashtra state. The campaign was initiated in the district in March 2001 and was accompanied with extensive Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities. As of 2005 ten Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) were open defecation free and in March 2006 nine of them won the Nirmal Gram Puraskar. The paper elaborately discusses the contribution of women towards successful implementation of the TSC in the study areas. The women were at the forefront of the IEC activities and acted as the agents of change. However the study also found a severe decline in women's participation post project which is an area of concern and jeopardises the sustainability of such projects. The author recommends integrating such schemes with the village level committees to enhance the participation of all the stakeholders.

Reference: Pardeshi, Geeta. 2009. 'Women in Total Sanitation Campaign: A Case Study from Yavatmal District, Maharashtra, India', Journal of Human Ecology, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 79-85. Available online at http://www.krepublishers.com/02-Journals/JHE/JHE-25-0-000-09-Web/JHE-25-2-000-2009-Abst-PDF/JHE-25-2-079-09-1831-Pardeshi-G-S/JHE-25-2-079-09-1831-Pardeshi-G-S-Tt.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

This report is an outcome of an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) convened by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) and the UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (UNW-DPC) in December 2008. The meeting which brought together a group together a group of 20 experts from gender, water, sanitation and data experts was centred on the need of gender disaggregated data in the water sector. The report highlights the dearth of gender disaggregated data for the water sector and its repercussions for policy making. It also identifies some key obstacles for developing collecting and using the gender disaggregated data on water and sanitation. It also chalks out some key indicators and recommendations for addressing this issue.

Reference: UN-DESA (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and UNW-DPC (UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development). 2009. 'Expert Group Meeting Report Gender-Disaggregated Data on Water and Sanitation.' Available online at http://www.unwater.org/downloads/EGM_report.pdf (accessed in June 2011).

2.13 Does Increased Water Access Empower Women?

2.14 Women in Total Sanitation Campaign: A Case Study from Yavatmal District, Maharashtra, India

2.15 Gender Disaggregated Data on Water and Sanitation: Expert Group Meeting Report

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2.16 Framework for Gender Mainstreaming Water and Sanitation for Cities

Section 3: Gender and Irrigation

3.1 Men, Masculinities and Water Powers in Irrigation

3.2 Identifying Gender Aspects of New Irrigation Management Policies

Addressing gender issues in water and sanitation for urban planning is an area requiring urgent attention by the policy makers given the transforming rural-urban dynamics. This document, a work in progress, by United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UNHABITAT) gives a framework to address the inequalities and imbalances existing in the water and service provision in the cities with respect to gender equity. It presents the key issues, challenges emerging issues for action, strategic activities, expected results and indicators of achievement of the Gender Mainstreaming Strategy Framework (GMSF) of the second phase of Water for African Cities programme (WAC II), Lake Victoria Region Water and Sanitation Initiative (LVWATSAN), and Water for Asian Cities programme.

Reference: UNHABITAT (United Nations Human Settlements Programme). 2006. 'Framework for Gender M a i n s t r e a m i n g Wa t e r a n d S a n i t a t i o n f o r C i t i e s . ' U N H A B I TAT. Av a i l a b l e o n l i n e a t http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/GenderMainsteamReport.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

Over the years there has been a shift in the irrigation sector from state controlled to decentralised water supply systems. Based on the premise of water as an economic good these systems emphasis the concept of participation and charging user fee to maximise efficiency. It is however argued that this paradigm shift have differential impacts for men and women. Thus a gendered understanding of irrigation is essential before making conclusions for an efficient water user system. This section compiles papers highlighting the gendered understanding of irrigation.

The author has traced the evolution of irrigation sector to establish the fact that gender inequality in irrigation sector is a result of concept of masculinity which is derived from the way men are viewed in a society with the help of three discourses viz. water professionals, water operators and water users: traditional irrigation systems. The discussion commences with how historically irrigation sector has been equated with engineers and the work is seen to be associated with courage and valour, the qualities generally identified with men. She draws from research experiences across the world to make a case as to how masculinity is equated with irrigation professionalism. In the case of water operators the author presents case studies from the Philippines and Mexico whereby she illustrates how professional identity and performance of water operators are tied up with the notions of masculinity. Similarly in the traditional water management systems in South Asia, negotiations about water distribution and armed patrolling of the water source are done exclusively by men since these are associated with the notions of masculinity. Women's role is limited to preparing land, weeding, transplanting and harvesting. The paper argues strongly for including the gendered dimension of power relations in irrigations to make progressive changes in irrigation water management.

Reference: Zwarteveen, Margreet. 2008. 'Men, Masculinities and Water Powers in Irrigation', Water Alternatives, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 111-130. Available online athttp://www.doaj.org/doaj?func=abstract&id=331556&openurl=1&uiLanguage=en (accessed in: April 2011).

On the basis of insights derived from feminist economics, the paper identifies and discusses gender biases of new irrigation management policies. Two major concerns have led to the Irrigation Management Transfer (IMT): improving efficient and managing the scarce water resource. However treating water as an economic good and decentralising its management is not without its flaws. For one it assumes that all users including women are able to pay equally for water use. Secondly, the estimated efficiency gains may be flawed as they do not take into account women's unpaid labour. The paper emphasises on need of gender disaggregated data to evaluate the performance of IMT policies with respect to women without which it may just reinstate the existing gender inequalities in irrigation management programmes.

Reference: Zwarteveen, Margreet. 1998. 'Identifying Gender Aspects of New Irrigation Management Policies', Agriculture and Human Values, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 301-312. Available online athttp://publications.iwmi.org/pdf/H021512.pdf (accessed in April 2011).

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3.3 Free-Riders or Victims: Women's Nonparticipation in Irrigation Management in Nepal's Chhattis Mauja Irrigation Scheme

3.4 Gender and Irrigation in India: The Women's Irrigation Group of Jambar, South Gujarat

3.5 Gender in Agriculture: Sourcebook

3.6 Gender Dimensions of Agricultural and Rural Employment: Differentiated Pathways Out of Poverty – Status, Trends and Gaps

This paper offers a very interesting case study on women and formal institutions in irrigation. The authors explore the Chattis Mauja irrigation system in Nepal to see how non-participation in irrigation management can sometimes be preferred by women over formal participation to further their interests. In the study it was found that while women in the head region of the irrigation scheme were actively engaged in using irrigation water they did not participate in its management. But due to prevalent social ideologies of women being weaker they would succeed in getting an unfair share of water and sometimes even steal water for many non-agricultural uses without being punished The authors conclude that while the overall management of the scheme may not suffer due to this free-riding in the long run increased feminisation of agriculture may threaten the sustainability of such systems.

Reference: Zwarteveen, Margreet and Nita Neupane. 1996. 'Free-Riders or Victims: Women's Nonparticipation in Irrigation Management in Nepal's Chhattis Mauja Irrigation Scheme, Research Report 7.' Colombo: International Irrigation Management Institute. Available online athttp://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Publications/IWMI_Research_Reports/PDF/pub007/REPORT07.PDF (accessed in June 2011).

This paper documents the case of women's irrigation group in Jambar supported by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme. Women in this village were trained to operate mechanised pump sets and organised themselves into water management committees to decide on the water charges, supervise water distribution, collect water fees from the pump operator, and deposit the amount in the bank. The availability of mechanised irrigation enabled them to add one crop to cultivation. The vegetables and fruits grown as such brought monetary benefits to the households. In addition it translated into greater decision making power and visibility for the women who were earlier neglected in community decision making.

Reference: Koppen, Barbara van, Rashmi Nagar and Shilpa Vasavada. 2001. 'Gender and Irrigation in India. The Women's Irrigation Group of Jambar, South Gujarat. Working Paper 10.' Colombo: International Water Management Institute. Available online at http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/51045/2/WOR10.pdf, (accessed in May 2011).

This sourcebook provides a descriptive account of national and international experiences in investing in agriculture. Applying a holistic approach to the issue non-agriculture specific sectors like rural finance, rural infrastructure, and rural labour are also discussed elaborately. Focussing on agricultural livelihoods it showcases how gender-responsive actions can be integrated in the design and implementation of agricultural projects and programmes. Divided into 16 comprehensive modules this sourcebook provides many interesting case studies on a range of issues related to agriculture and gender.

Reference: The World Bank, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation), and IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development). 2009. Gender in Agriculture Sourcebook. Washington, D.C.: World Bank. Available online at http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTGENAGRLIVSOUBOOK/Resources/CompleteBook.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

This report is an outcome of a technical workshop on the gender dimensions of rural employment, held in April 2009 under the aegis of IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development), FAO (Food and Agricultural Organisation) and ILO (International Labour Organisation). It combines empirical data and good practices based on national and international experiences on the gender dimension of rural and agricultural employment. The report is divided into three parts. The first section provides a global perspective on gender dimensions of rural and agricultural employment. The second section presents consequences of gender inequalities and policy options for gender equitable rural employment based on the workshop. The last section presents selected papers which were contributed to the workshop.

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Reference: FAO (Food and Agricultural Organisation), IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development) and ILO (International Labour Organisation). 2010. 'Gender Dimensions of Agricultural and Rural Employment: Differentiated Pathways Out of Poverty – Status, Trends and Gaps.' Rome: FAO, IFAD and ILO. Available online at http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/i1638e/i1638e.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

Climate change has passed the phase of scientific curiosity and has become one of the crucial environmental issues facing nations today. With the projected impact on the natural resources, it is also altering livelihood regimes in developing nations. World over women make up a major section of the poor and vulnerable people who are likely to face grave threat due to the changing climate. The social make up of the developing societies also severely limit the capacity of women to cope or mitigate the impacts of climate change. It is therefore important to understand whether and to what extent gender matters in the climate change policy process. The following section presents papers and cases studies to help in understanding the climate change, water and gender linkages.

This paper talks about a rather understudied and understated aspect of disaster management. It is oft quoted that climate change will manifest itself in the form of extreme events due to imbalances in the hydrological cycles. Taking the massive tsunami of 2004 which led to massive destruction as an example the author brings forth the issue of sexualised violence during the post disaster phase. Drawing from cases observed by medical organisation medica mondiale in three tsunami affected regions of Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Aceh she puts forth how gender blind disaster management strategy spell miseries for women. There were reports of women in the disaster relief camps being raped, harassed and even forcibly married off in order to claim the compensation money. While the breakdown of social order and heavily skewed gender ratio can be thought to be responsible for such incidents, the inadequacy of the relief worker to deal with such issues worsens the situation. The paper concludes by calling for a gendered approach to disaster management and imparting gender sensitive training to the relief workers.

Reference: Biermann, Claudia Felten. 2006. 'Gender and Natural Disaster: Sexualised Violence and the Tsunami', Development, Vol. 49, Issue 3, pp. 82-86. Available online ath t t p : / / w w w. o n l i n e w o m e n i n p o l i t i c s . o r g / s o u r c e b o o k _ f i l e s / R e s o u r c e s . 2 / C a s e % 2 0 S t u d y -%20Gender%20and%20Natural%20Disasters%20-%20Sexualized%20Violence%20and%20the%20Tsunami.pdf (accessed in June 2011).

This paper deals with the gendered impact of water related disasters in Bangladesh. Analysing the situation through a changing climate perspective the paper argues that in the absence of economic and social empowerment, the vulnerability of the women to climate change related disaster will continue to be very high. The author draws from increased instances of poverty in women headed households, their poor nutritional status and lower capacity of self protection as a reason for their differentially high vulnerability to disasters (in the present paper mainly the hydrometeorological ones). Many social stigmas prevalent in the society may also inhibit a woman's ability to cope in the post-disaster phase. The paper concludes by emphasising a paradigm shift in the focus of disaster mitigation to incorporate more gender sensitive approaches.

Reference: Cannon, Terry. 2002. 'Gender and Climate Hazards in Bangladesh', in Gender and Development, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 45-50. Available online at http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/downloads/FOG_Climate_15.pdf (accessed in June 2011).

This paper traces the linkages between climate change and gender. It argues that the impact of climate change are not gender neutral and woman social status vis-à-vis man makes her more vulnerable to the impact of climate changes especially in the rural setting where women's dependence on the natural resource base is relatively higher. With this premise the paper proposes that mitigation and adaptation methods can actually be used as an entry point to deal with both the issues: climate change and economic empowerment of women simultaneously. The paper conceptualises true empowerment as access to education, productive assets, markets and services among other things.

Section 4: Gender and Climate Change

4.1 Gender and Natural Disaster: Sexualised Violence and the Tsunami

4.2 Gender and Climate Hazards in Bangladesh

4.3 Climate Change and Gender: Economic Empowerment of Women through Climate Mitigation and Adaptation?

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Building on the differential adaptive capacity of women and their knowledge, it illustrates various climate related projects in soil conservation, energy, agriculture where the two goals have been successfully combined. The paper emphasises on supplementing these with long term structural decisions by means of training and education of women such that genuine empowerment is brought to them.

Reference: Bäthge, Sandra. 2010. 'Climate Change and Gender: Economic Empowerment of Women Through Climate Mitigation and Adaptation?', Working Paper. Eschbon: GTZ. Available online athttp://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/62/33/46975138.pdf (accessed in July 2011).

This paper presents a framework to analyse gender and climate change issues with respect to vulnerability of the women. The author while arguing that climate change has a disproportionate impact on women discusses their vulnerability and adaptation measure with respect to agriculture and food security, water shortage, Himalayan ecosystem and coastal zones. The mitigation efforts, policy actions and strategies on way forward have also been discussed.

Reference: Parikh, Jyoti. 2007. 'Gender and Climate Change: Framework for Analysis, Policy & Action.' Integrated Research and Action for Development. Available online at http://data.undp.org.in/Gnder_CC.pdf (accessed in July 2011).

The purpose of this resource guide is to provide the practitioner's and the policy makers with the inter-linkages between climate change and gender and their relevance with respect to the Millennium Development Goals. It gives a detailed understanding of the phenomenon of climate change and its impacts on various and statistically shows how women suffer from inequality with respect to the eight MDGs and its consequent impact on them. It also analyses the international climate change policy instruments with gender equality lens. The prospects of linking gender equality with climate change mitigation and adaptations have also been discussed and some best practices regarding same have also been listed. This document is a handy tool for strengthening the understanding of gender and climate change issues.

Reference: UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). 2009. 'Resource Guide on Gender and Climate Change'. UNDP. Available online athttp://www.un.org/womenwatch/downloads/Resource_Guide_English_FINAL.pdf (accessed in July 2011).

One of the major changes in the water sector over the last few decades has been the enhanced thrust on institutional reforms including the increasing recognition of the bottom-up approach to management as against the techno-centric top-down one. At the heart of this is the concept of greater inclusiveness of all the stakeholders including women and hence the greater need of understanding their differential needs. A need to integrate gender concerns in the water policy discourse stemmed from two facts – one, women are the primary collectors of water and also responsible for the health, hygiene and sanitation (of which water is an integral part) at the household level; and two, historically the above work has been seen as non-productive and women have not had adequate representation in the decision making around water. With this background the following section puts forth some the current thoughts from the water sector on the issue of marginalisation of women from the new water policy discourse and discusses its impacts.

This paper discusses in detail the potential threats posed by the new policy climate to women's roles in water resources management and the likely consequences for equity and efficiency. For e.g. in the present policy environment a women's willingness to pay for better water services is often mistaken as her ability to pay. The commodification of water also prioritises productive water use over the domestic one which according to the author is disadvantageous for women as they are involved in many small scale activities of economic importance which requires water. The paper further urges that in the new water policy women stand to lose out as they do not have ensured property rights and the local management regime for water supply structures effectively exclude them from this process due to prevalent male hegemony. It goes on to unravel the myths and notions associated with community which if often seen as united, resourceful and equitable while in practice it is divided by caste and gender.

4.4 Gender and Climate Change: Framework for Analysis, Policy & Action

4.5 Resource Guide on Gender and Climate Change

Section 5: Gender and Water Policy

5.1 Women and Water Resources: Continued Marginalisation and New Policies

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The paper concludes by suggesting some practical analysis framework viz. waterpoint analysis which provides a quick profile of the water using community, in-depth household analysis related to various aspects of water management and institutional analysis for gauging the participation of the community.

Reference: Cleaver, Frances and Diane Elson. 1995. 'Women and Water Resources: Continued Marginalisation and New Policies', in The Gatekeeper Series of International Institute for Environment and Development's Sustainable Agriculture Programme, No. 49, pp. 3-16. Available online at http://pubs.iiedorg/pdfs/6063IIEDpdf (accessed in: March 2011).

This paper examines the central premise of decentralisation that it would improve the outreach of services and participation in decision making for women from diverse social groups. Drawing on findings from a study supported by International Development Research Centre (IDRC) on decentralised water governance in Maharashtra the paper argues that decentralisation will fail to meet its desired objectives unless the value systems, culture and the nature of institutions change. According to the author two key perspectives have directed the State's orientation to women's role while linking governance to economic performance. One has been to include women as key actors in the new decentralised administration process, and the second on the “efficiency” of institutions, development projects and programmes. Citing a study on pani samitis (Water User Associations) in rural Maharashtra, the author carefully unfolds many inherent inadequacies with request to meaningful participation of women in community managed water management schemes and also the constraints that women face in participating in local water governance. The paper concludes by calling for a paradigm shift in devolution of real power and resources and also developing an enabling environment to ensure meaningful participation and representation of women in decentralised water governance.

Reference: Kulkarni, Seema. 2011. 'Women and Decentralised Water Governance: Issues, Challenges and the Way Forward', Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 46, No. 18, pp. 64-72. Available online at http://beta.epw.in/static_media/PDF/archives_pdf/2011/04/RW_XLVI_18_300411_Seema_Kulkarni.pdf (accessed in May 2011).

This paper draws on a study coordinated by SOPPECOM (Society for Promoting Participative Ecosystem Management) and supported by SaciWATERs. The study covered Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan (Sindh region) and two states of India (Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh). It looked at the data of women professionals in South Asia while interviewing some selected women working at different levels in governments across South Asia. The study brought forth some glaring discrepancies with respect to women composition in water bureaucracy. For instance in Maharashtra irrigation sector only 7.53 per cent employees were women out of which a mere 1.93 per cent were employed as technical staff. In all these departments women are not present at the top most level. Even for the posts for which women are hired, they are seldom considered for field based or site based work. A woman's social role, largely seen as a homemaker in our social setting, gives rise to conflicts between professional and private spheres that also contributes to her decision regarding the choice of work. These biases are by no means restricted to the water sector alone but they nonetheless have a strong bearing on the overall way that water is being managed in South Asia.

Reference: SOPPECOM (Society for Promoting Participative Ecosystem Management). 2009. 'Situational Analysis of Women Water Professionals in South Asia.' Available online at http://www.soppecom.org/pdf/Report-%20situational%20analysis%20of%20women%20water%20professionals%20in%20south%20asia.pdf (accessed in June 2011).

This case study looks into the impacts of new institutional water management regime on women in the two states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The study analyses the factors which ensure the participation or exclusion of women from water user and management groups. The research explores that while the introduction of quotas in the WUAs (Water User Associations) have ensured women's representation in meetings, there exist glaring caste and economic inequalities within women representation. Women's representation is often tokenistic and the benefits accrued to them are mostly in the form of SHGs (Self Help Group) activities. The NGOs and CBOs often play the role of the facilitators but fail to overcome the existing norms of appropriate social behaviour in the society which limits women' s effective

5.2 Women and Decentralised Water Governance: Issues, Challenges and the Way Forward

5.3 Situational Analysis of Women Water Professionals in South Asia

5.4 Reforming Water Adding Women: Does Decentralised Water Governance Further Gender Justice in India?

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participation. The paper concludes by giving some key recommendations for decentralisation to be effective in the domestic water sector.

Reference: SOPPECOM (Society for Promoting Participative Ecosystem Management). 2008. 'Reforming Water Adding Women: Does Decentralised Water Governance Further Gender Justice in India?', Policy Brief. Available online at http://www.soppecom.org/pdf/Policy%20brief%201.pdf (accessed in April 2011).

The assumption about water projects improving the lives and livelihoods of women have often been criticised. There are four main assumptions viz. (a) women's roles in skilled work in project implementation and management (b) women's representation in community decision-making forums; (c) women's increased awareness of the health and hygiene aspects of water management; (d) women's participation in productive income generation activities made possible through time saved in fetching water. This paper is an empirical analysis to test the validity of such claims based on the research experience in north India. Exploring the notions of participation in externally conceived projects, the paper refutes all the above four assumptions with evidences from the field. The paper concludes by emphasising that in contrast to the goals envisaged by the proponents fewer women have benefitted economically or socially in the field area and hence there is a need to relook into this.

thReference: Joshi, Deepa and Ben Fawcett. 2001. 'Water Projects and Women's Empowerment', Proceedings of the 27 WEDC Conference, Zambia, 2001. Available online at http://www.dfid.gov.uk/r4d/PDF/Outputs/R65752.pdf (accessed in July 2011).

This paper discusses the case of Self Employed Women's Association's (SEWA) women, water and work campaign in Gujarat and demonstrates how collective action by women was instrumental in bringing about a sustainable water management intervention. The paper gives a lucid account of the campaign and presents three examples to highlight the actions undertaken at the grassroots level by the women as a part of this campaign namely, (a) revival and upgradation of traditional sources of water, (b) rooftop rainwater harvesting and (c) SEWA's barefoot water technicians. The paper discusses the significant impact of such intervention on the lives and livelihoods of the women. This case study illustrates that women's participation in projects linking environment with livelihoods can bring true empowerment to them in both social as well as economic sphere.

Reference: Panda, Smita Mishra. 2007. 'Women's Collective Action and Sustainable Water Management: Case of SEWA's Water Campaign in Gujarat, India', CAPRi (Collective Actions and Property Rights), Working Paper No. 61. Available online at http://www.capri.cgiar.org/pdf/capriwp61.pdf (accessed in June 2011).

The paper briefly discusses the interlinkages between women, water and poverty. Building on two case studies, one each from Pakistan and India, it discusses grassroots level interventions taken to address these issues simultaneously. Initiated in June 2001, the Indus Delta Area Water Partnership in Pakistan is promoting water, food and livelihood security and is addressing the gender concern by institutionalising a Women and Water Network as a parallel and mainstream initiative. The case study from India explores a 'proposal for action' to build the capacity of the women water professionals by bringing a paradigm shift in the engineering and techno-centric approach to managing water in the higher education domain.

Reference: Kamal, Simi, Jasveen Jairath and Gender and Water Alliance. 2002. 'Addressing Water and Poverty at the Grassroots: A Case Study of Area Water Partnerships and Women and Water Networks in South Asia', Country Water Action, Asian Development Bank (ADB). Available online athttp://www.adb.org/water/actions/pak/PAK_water_poverty_grassroots.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

5.5 Water Projects and Women's Empowerment

5.6 Women's Collective Action and Sustainable Water Management: Case of SEWA's Water Campaign in Gujarat, India

5.7 Addressing Water and Poverty at the Grassroots: A Case Study of Area Water Partnerships and Women and Water Networks in South Asia

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5.8 Resource Guide: Mainstreaming Gender in Water Management

5.9 Gender in Water Resources Management, Water Supply and Sanitation Roles and Realities Revisited

5.10 Diverting the Flow: A Resource Guide to Gender, Rights and Water Privatisation

5.11 For Her It's a Big Issue: Putting Women at the Centre of Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene

The Guide is a reference document designed to “facilitate access to available online literature and resources regarding gender and IWRM; improve the sustainability and effectiveness of water-related activities through incorporation of gender equality and diversity; and improve understanding and awareness of gender concepts through an easy reference to existing materials, cases, and tools.” It seeks to assist practitioners in mainstreaming gender within 13 water sub-sectors. The sub-sectors of the resources guide cover sanitation and hygiene, water supply, agriculture, coastal zone management, capacity building and gender responsive budgeting among others. Current policy debates and gender issues are described in the introductions to the sub-sectors. The resource guide consolidates available online materials and gives a quick guide to accessing existing information such as references, resources (including manuals and guidelines), case studies and relevant websites.

Reference: GWA-UNDP (Gender and Water Alliance and United Nations Development Programme). 2006. 'Resource Guide: Mainstreaming Gender in Water Management ' , Version 2.1. Available online at http://waterwiki.net/images/2/22/GWA-UNDP_Gender_and_IWRM_Resource_Guide_complete_200610.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

This book was originally published in 1985 as 'Participation of Women in Water Supply and Sanitation: Roles and Realities'. This updated version gives an overview of gender developments in water supply and sanitation in the context of water resources management from 1980 to 1997. While giving a framework for gender analysis to be used in planning, it links the progress made so far in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) to gender analysis. It reviews how these genders specified principles are currently applied in the water supply, sanitation and hygiene sector. It also gives an interesting account as to how gender concerns are already integrated in indigenous management of water resources.

Reference: Wijk-Sijbesma, Christine van. 1998. 'Gender in Water Resources Management, Water Supply and Sanitation Roles and Realities Revisited.' Technical Paper Series No. 33-E. International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC). Available online at http://www.irc.nl/page/1893 (accessed in November 2011).

This document explores the gendered nature of water privatisation and its impact on women. Dwelling on the debate of water as a human right, private versus public ownership of water as a resource, it gives a global picture of women vis-à-vis privatisation interventions worldwide. Various case studies from the developing as well as the developed world have been highlighted. It concludes by highlighting some strategies that can prove effective in advocating for universal access to water. The document also gives a compilation of various resources which can be used to strengthen the understanding over this issue.

Reference: WEDO (Women's Environment and Development Organisation) 2003. 'Diverting the Flow: A Resource Guide to Gender, Rights and Water Privatisation.' Available online athttp://www.generoyambiente.org/arcangel2/documentos/52.pdf (accessed in June 2011).

It has often been advocated that placing women at the core of planning, implementation and operations of WASH programmes is inextricably linked to the improvement of water supply, sanitation facilities and hygiene practices as well as to their well being. It is organised around six issues: better services for all; better health for all; privacy and dignity; women's health and well-being; girls' school attendance; women's status; and income-generation. Compiled as an evidence report this document brings together case studies and chronicles the benefits of involving women in WASH projects.

Reference: Fisher, Julie. 2006. 'For Her It's the Big Issue: Putting Women at the Centre of Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, Evidence Report, WSSCC (Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council). Available online at http://www.unwater.org/downloads/EvidenceReport_eng.pdf (accessed in November 2011).

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