The central issue this book attempts to address is paradigm shifts in water policy/governance and the role of the civil society organizations (NGOs) in influencing public policy. The volume maps current State-society relations in South Asia under neoliberal governance reforms, its implications and key responses.

Foreword Peter P. Mollinga. Acknowledgments. Introduction: Paradigm Shifts in Water Governance and Civil Society Responses in South Asia: A Review N. C. Narayanan, S. Parasuraman and Rajindra Ariyabandu 1. The State, Civil Society and Challenges to Democratic Governance in South Asia Mahfuzul H. Chowdhury Part I: NGOs in Collaborative Advocacy 2. Watershed Development Policies and Programs in India: Scope and Constraints of Civil Society Action K. J. Joy 3. How an NGO Works the State and Why it Succeeds: A Case Study from Central India Vasudha Chhotray Part II: Foreign Assistance and Water Governance 4. Water Provision and Modernity: The Consequence of Foreign Aid in Nepal Sudhindra Sharma 5. Foreign Assistance, Dependence and Debt: Sanitation Case Study, Kandy, Sri Lanka Sunil Thrikawala and N. C. Narayanan 6. Institutional Changes, Public Provision and Drinking Water Supply in Kerala N. C. Narayanan and S. Mohammed Irshad Part III: NGOs in Policy Influence 7. Water Policy Development in a Multi-party System of Governance: A Case Study of Sri Lanka Rajindra Ariyabandu 8. Water Rights in Civil Society and Governance: The Sri Lankan Experience Ruana Rajepakse 9. "Flood Action Plan" and NGO Protests in Bangladesh: An Assessment Hamidul Huq Part IV: Social Movements in Water Governance 10. The Water Rights Movement in South Maharashtra, India Suhas Paranjape and Seema Kulkarni 11. Lessons from Plachimada: From Anti-Coca-Cola Agitation to Democratization of Water C. R. Bijoy.