International Training and Research Program 2006-2007

Groundwater Governance in Theory and Practice

Under the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food
Project:

Groundwater Governance in Asia: Capacity Building
through Action Research in the Indo-Gangetic Basin
(IGB) and the Yellow River Basin (YRB)

Background

Groundwater is a major source of water used in
agriculture as well as for domestic and industrial
water supply in most countries around the world. This
is no exception in South Asia and China where
groundwater has been a vehicle for much of rural and
industrial development over the last half century.
Groundwater is there, groundwater is developed and
used, groundwater generates jobs and income to many
citizens, yet groundwater is not really valued,
monitored, known, and much less managed or governed.

This training and research program sets out to address
the pertinent and very pressing issues of groundwater.
The rationale is that groundwater is an endangered
‘water species’ that is threatened from overuse and
degradation from many sides and that needs and merits
increased attention, appreciation and protection from
individual users as well as private enterprises and
management institutions.

The course targets people involved in groundwater use
at various levels and functions. Groundwater
development and management professionals, groundwater
researchers, and journalists are invited to
participate in the program in order to foster an
interdisciplinary understanding, communication, debate
and partnership on addressing the relevant and
practical groundwater issues in the region.

Program Objective

The overall objective of the training and research
program is to enhance the capacity of existing
institutions involved in groundwater research and
management in the basin states sharing the
Indus-Ganges and the Yellow River Basins (i.e., India,
China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal) to undertake
more integrated, multidisciplinary and sustainable
approaches to groundwater governance. The program will
train groundwater practitioners in applied research,
and will support lasting, interregional networks of
practitioners and researchers. The program intends to
seed a process of enduring change in the groundwater
management sectors of the states.

Participation

The program targets three types of fellows; 1) junior
and 2) senior groundwater managers and 3) media
fellows from the five countries. The program offers
joint learning forums among the junior and senior
management fellows; as well as separate components
tailored towards particular levels of experience.
Media fellows covering natural resources issues are
included during the training, to improve their
technical knowledge of groundwater as well as their
understanding of key regional issues.

Program Structure

The program is divided into two major phases as
follows:

Phase 1 is a classroom course on theoretical as well
as practical aspects of groundwater governance. This
5-week phase takes place at IIT (Indian Institute of
Technology), Roorkee, India, and other recognized
training institutions in the area, from Oct. 9, 2006.
Phase 2 is an action research program where the
participants acquire skills in groundwater assessment
and management through field surveys and
experimentation (junior and media fellows) and visits
to renown international institutions involved in
groundwater management (senior fellows). This 4 -15
week phase takes place in the five basin states
(junior and media fellows) or overseas (senior
fellows).

The second phase culminates in an annual project
meeting in March, 2007, where all three types of
fellows present findings and results from their
research phase.
Both phases of the program are mandatory in order to
complete the program successfully.

Content, junior fellows

The first phase will cover theoretical as well as more
practical and case-oriented aspects of groundwater. It
will give both a fundamental introduction to the
physical behavior and characteristics of groundwater,
the socioeconomic and institutional and policy
implications as well as the illustrative and
integrative treatment of the various themes through
case presentations, field trips, simulation games and
discussions. The course will combine lecture formats
with interactive discussion seminars.

The second phase consists of a 15 week action research
program, where junior fellows work individually or in
smaller groups on specific topics of relevance and
interest to their professional work. The participants
will go back to their individual country, or another,
to participate in a research program designed by the
project scientists. Typically, the fellows will
investigate, through questionnaires, surveys and data
collection, how users of groundwater behave and how
their behavior relates to water availability, land
use, policies and other socioeconomic factors in
selected regions within the two project basins
(Indus-Ganges and the Yellow River).

Content, senior fellows

In order to cater to senior managers, a shorter and
management-focused program that encompasses one week
of class room training and four weeks of action
research is scheduled. The one- week classroom
training will be concurrent with the last week of the
Phase 1 training program for junior fellows, focusing
mainly on management and policy implications of
groundwater governance. The second phase for senior
fellows is a 4-week research program that showcases
groundwater management frameworks in countries outside
of the region (e.g. the United States, Spain, and
Australia). The senior fellows will collect in-depth
knowledge and information on many facets of
groundwater management including fundamental
processes, conflicts and challenges faced and the
specific ways in which they have been addressed in
that particular country and the potential for transfer
of approaches to the basin states.

Content, media fellows

Realizing that groundwater is a ‘forgotten’ and
disregarded water resource in many respects, general
awareness raising is a must in future groundwater
management. In order to support this, journalists from
print, television, and radio with interests in
environmental and natural resource issues are invited
to participate. Their program follows that of the
junior fellows described above, but with some side
events of particular relevance to them. Their research
program will be devoted to the development of news
coverage or reports on relevant topics related to
groundwater in the areas covered by the junior
fellows.

Timing

The program starts on October 9, 2006 and ends in
March 2007

Five-week class for junior and media fellows, in India
One-week class for senior fellows, in India
Preparation of junior and media fellow action
research, in India Junior and media fellow action
research, in their country Senior fellow action
research, in country outside the basins First annual
project meeting, in India Sunday Indian national
holiday

Who is eligible?

Junior and senior managers and professionals involved
actively in groundwater management and research in the
five project states are eligible to apply and
participate in the program. Preferably, the applicants
should be affiliated with a well-established and
recognized organization or institution in the
region/basins that is involved actively and mandated
with groundwater management and research. Journalists
associated with a well-established and recognized
media organization are also invited to apply.

Three categories of fellows:

Senior Professional Research Fellow (SPRF): Senior
groundwater managers working at the top policy making
level in key groundwater organizations.

Young Professional Research Fellow (YPRF): Young
groundwater managers or researchers below the age of
40 years working in the government sector, NGO or
academia.

Media Fellow (MF): A young journalist working on
environmental and natural resources issues.

Target Countries

The program is open to participants with previous
experience in their professional career from the five
basin countries, i.e. India, China, Pakistan,
Bangladesh and Nepal, and who (preferably) reside in
the said countries.

Language Requirements

The program is conducted in English, and fluency in
speaking, comprehending and writing English is a
prerequisite. Candidates whose English is not their
mother tongue must certify their proficiency in
English.

Course Instructors

Instructors for the training and research program will
be from the region, including IIT, Roorkee,
guaranteeing the local knowledge, relevance, and
applicability of theory and practice as well as from
international, world-renown groundwater research and
management institutions, including IWMI, assuring the
incorporation of state-of-the-art knowledge on
technology and practice. From IWMI-Tata, Dr. Tushaar
Shah will provide input to week 5 of the course.

Application Process
Closing date for application is June 7, 2006.

In order to be eligible for the training and research
program, a completed application form, along with the
supporting documents has to be submitted via email to:
iwmigga@.... In addition, for juniors and media
fellows, a written formal nomination, from a superior
of the fellow’s organization, supporting the
application is required. A concept note, describing a
research topic of interest and relevance to the
applicant should be submitted as well.
For senior managers, an application form stating the
motivation for following the training program is
required, including a suggestion of a potential
country to visit during the action research phase.

Deadline for application: June 7, 2006

Completed applications should be forwarded by email to
iwmigga@... with the subject line "GGA
Application" or by fax, marked "GGA Application" to:

Fax No. 94-11-2786854

Ms. Mala Ranawake Administratative Officer
International Water Management Institute,
P.O. Box 2075, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Further details and application forms are available
at:
www.waterandfood.org/gga/training.htm

Selection

The program encourages qualified men and women to
apply. Successful applicants will be informed by email
or fax by July 5, 2006. Upon written acceptance by the
fellow, an official letter of invitation will be
issued for visa purposes.

Participant Costs and Benefits

The full cost of participating in this program will be
covered by the project, including overseas and local
travel, course material, most food and full
accommodation. In addition, a per diem covering some
meals and other out-ofpocket expenses will be
provided. It is expected that the fellows will
maintain their association with their nominating
organization and, hence, receive their salary during
the training and research program.

Program Certificate

Successful candidates, completing the course and
research phases, will receive a international program
certificate issued by CPWF/IWMI. Equally importantly,
the participants will be part of a continuing
international and interregional network on groundwater
governance that will ensure continued collaboration
and knowledge-sharing across various institutional and
geographic borders.

Accommodation

The fellows will be accommodated in medium-standard
guest houses or hotels in proximity to IIT, Roorkee.

Visa

The fellow is responsible for obtaining necessary
visa(s). The visa and passport must be valid for the
duration of the program.

Insurance

Participants are responsible for obtaining necessary
individual insurance, which includes cover for medical
care in the event of acute illness or accident during
the program. The fellow is responsible for any
required vaccinations.

Contact Information

The address for all communication is:

IWMI, Headquarters P O Box 2075, Colombo, SRI LANKA

Tel. +94 11 278 7404
Fax +94 11 278 6854
Email: iwmi-gga@...
Web: www.iwmi.cgiar.org and www.waterandfood.org/gga

Dr. Karen G. Villholth,
Program Director

Dr. Jean Luc Sabatier,
Course Coordinator

Ms. Mala Ranawake,
Administrative Officer

The international training and research program on
Groundwater Governance in Theory and Practice is
managed by the Internatioanl Water Management
Institute (IWMI) (www.iwmi.org). It is funded by the
CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food
(www.waterandfood.org) and is hosted and supported by
the Centre for Water Resources Development and
Management, at the Indian Institute of Technology
(www.iitr.ac.in/departments/wrt)

IWMI is a non-profit scientific organization funded by
the Consultative Group on International Agricultural
Research (CGIAR). IWMI’s research agenda is organized
around four priority themes covering key issues
relating to land, water, livelihoods, health and
environment. The Institute concentrates on water and
related land management challenges faced by poor rural
communities. The challenges are those that affect
their nutrition, livelihoods and health, as well as
the integrity of environmental services on which these
depend. IWMI works through collaborative research with
partners in the North and South, to develop tools and
practices to help developing countries eradicate
poverty and better manage their water and land
resources. The immediate target groups of IWMI’s
research include the scientific community, policy
makers, project implementers and individual farmers.

The CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF)
is a global research-fordevelopment program that seeks
to contribute to achieving the UN Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) by generating and applying
knowledge on how to alleviate poverty and enhance
food, health and environmental security through
improvements in agricultural water management. The
CPWF implements research in nine benchmark basins: Sao
Francisco, Volta, Limpopo, Nile, Karkheh, Mekong,
Indus-Ganges, Yellow river basins and the Andean
system of basins.

Department of Water Resources Development and
Management, at Indian Institute of Technology

The objective of the Department is to train serving
engineers from Asia, Africa and other developing
countries in various aspects of water resources
engineering and to bring together engineering talent
from these countries for a first hand understanding
and appreciation of each other's problems and to help
evolve, by pooling of knowledge, new techniques in
water resources development and utilization suited to
conditions of this region. In addition, the program of
education at the Department helps foster a feeling of
brotherhood amongst the engineers of these countries.
Since its creation in 1951 the Department has trained
2032 serving engineers from 38 countries in the field
of water resources development and irrigation water
management.


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