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@article{203037,
        author = {Dr. Nibedita Paul},
        title = {Gender-Transformative Water Governance in Assam: Repositioning Women as Leaders and Decision-Makers},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {12},
        pages = {12803-12810},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=203037},
        abstract = {Water governance in India has historically positioned women as passive beneficiaries of development interventions rather than as active planners, decision-makers, and institutional leaders. In Assam, where recurrent floods, riverbank erosion, water contamination, and climate-induced vulnerabilities disproportionately affect women, this governance gap becomes especially pronounced. Women bear the primary responsibility for household water collection, sanitation management, caregiving, and health protection, yet they remain significantly underrepresented in technical planning processes and institutional decision-making structures related to water resource management. Although national programmes such as the Jal Jeevan Mission encourage women’s participation in local water governance institutions, meaningful engagement in planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring, and policy formulation remains limited. Existing governance frameworks often prioritize numerical representation over substantive participation, resulting in symbolic inclusion rather than transformative leadership. This paper examines the transition from token participation to transformative gender mainstreaming in water governance in Assam. It critically analyses the institutional, socio-cultural, technical, and policy-related barriers that restrict women’s effective leadership in water projects, particularly in flood-prone districts such as Majuli, Dhemaji, Barpeta, and Morigaon, where recurring climate shocks intensify water insecurity and gender inequality. The study argues that sustainable, climate-resilient, and socially inclusive water governance cannot be achieved by treating women merely as recipients of services. Instead, women must be repositioned as planners, technical contributors, community mobilizers, policy influencers, and institutional leaders capable of shaping water governance systems at local and regional levels. By reframing women’s roles within governance structures such as Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs), local self-government institutions, and community-based water management systems, the paper advocates for a shift from welfare-oriented participation toward rights-based and leadership-oriented engagement. It further emphasizes that gender-responsive water governance requires institutional reforms, targeted capacity building, technical training, financial inclusion, and the integration of women’s experiential knowledge into climate adaptation and water security planning. Through this approach, the paper contributes to broader debates on gender justice, participatory governance, and climate resilience in rural development policy and practice in Assam.},
        keywords = {},
        month = {May},
        }