ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces readers to the history and historiography of waters in India, shedding light on the development and recent trends within the field. The purpose however is not narrowly confined towards an exploration of the state of the art but also an evolution of a framework that might be helpful to critically interrogate unilinear and accepted perceptions, visions, and social agendas since the advent of “modernity.” The present statistics on the unsustainable use of water in India is shocking. This chapter will capture the complex, multilayered dimensions of water challenges within the Indian context and will address the issue via political economy, history, and the ecology of water management.
