ABSTRACT
Introduction Though it is one of India’s industrial and agricultural powerhouses, Gujarat is also one of the most water-scarce states in the country, with a water availability of around 900m3 per capita per year, which is only 58% of the national average of 1545m3 (WASMO, 2013). More importantly, the state’s topographical, hydrological, climatic and soil conditions result in large regional variations in the availability of water, leaving most of Gujarat’s districts with water deficits. This situation seems to have worsened in the last 40 years: 3 to 5 years in every decade have been marked by drought, and with each episode, the communities’ coping resources are further strained (Dass, 2006).
