Groundwater Economics and Policy in South Asia

Dr Dinesh Kumar is the Executive Director of the Institute for Resource Analysis and Policy in Hyderabad, an Indian think-tank on water management founded by him in 2008. He holds a degree in Civil Engineering (focus on water resources management) and a Ph. D in Water Management. He works on water, agriculture, and energy related issues in India and internationally, heading several research and consultancy projects and training assignments of the organization. He is the author of nearly 300 research publications, including nine academic books, nine edited volumes, and several international, peer-reviewed journal articles. He is on the editorial board of four prestigious international journals, Viz., Water Policy, International Journal of Water Resources Development, PLOS Water journal and Frontiers in Water. In a career spanning 30 years, Kumar has visited 21 countries, for conferences and official work.

• List of TablesList of FiguresList of AbbreviationsAcknowledgmentsPreface1. Introduction2. South Asia’s Groundwater: The Resource Characteristics, Ownership Regimes and Access3. Application of Complex Concept of Groundwater Over-exploitation4. Comparing Well Irrigation and Gravity Irrigation5. Farm Ponds and Solar Irrigation Pumps: Economics and Implications for Groundwater Management Policy6. Large Reservoirs for Improving Groundwater Sustainability in Over-exploited Regions7. Addressing Groundwater Management Issues in Semi-Arid Hard Rock Regions8. Institutions and Policies for Sustainable Groundwater Management in Alluvial Areas of South Asia9. Regulating Groundwater Use through Economic Incentives10. Market Instruments and Institutions for Managing Groundwater in South Asia11. Managing Groundwater in under-developed Regions: Policy Lessons from South Asia