is a peer-reviewed academic publication based in London and New Delhi and jointly managed by the University of London and the International Environmental Law Research Centre.

Since 2005, LEAD Journal (also known as the Law, Environment and Development Journal) publishes articles, case notes and documents of interest to professionals, practitioners, researchers, students and policy-makers in the field of international and regional environmental law and domestic environmental laws of developing countries. LEAD Journal emphasises a comparative approach to the study of environmental law and is the only journal in the field to carry a North-South focus. It is unique in providing perspectives from both developed and developing countries. Bearing in mind the principles of “sustainable development”, LEAD Journal also solicits writings which incorporate related concerns, such as human rights and trade, in the study of environmental management, thus adopting a contextual approach to the examination of environmental issues. LEAD Journal encourages scholarship which combine theoretical and practical approaches to the study of environmental law and practice.

50 YEARS OF WATER LAW IN INDIA

Looking Back & The Future

India has a long history of explicit water laws rooted in its colonial past. However, in the 1970s, India became one of the first countries of the global South to establish extensive water legislation that focused on environmental aspects and formulated rules for abatement of water pollution, contesting water uses and integrated science-based governance of water resources. These water laws led to the establishment of regulatory and intermediary institutions, the setting up of formal rules, the evolution of governance norms and the rise of an extensive water bureaucracy. During the initial years, the water laws and policies were largely state-driven and state-centric, based on command-and-control principles. Eventually, after the 1990s, the focus shifted to more hybrid and market-based arrangements and ideals. The water laws and policies have significantly shaped India’s waterscape, economy and society. After 50 years, it is pertinent to examine the water laws and policies’ capacity to achieve the stated goals and reflect on the missed opportunities and neglected spheres, especially from the environmental and developmental perspectives. These reflections are crucial in a context where India wishes to achieve the SDGs by 2030 at a time when developmental policies are becoming more polarised, emphatic and human-centric. India is among the top five economies in terms of total GDP and number one in terms of population; however, it still accounts for a vast marginalised and vulnerable population. The growing economy, industry, and society need access to adequate and ‘safe’ water resources in an era greatly altered by climate change, mega-disasters and uncertainties.

This special issue will be a multi-disciplinary attempt to collectively reflect on the social life of water laws formulated during the last five decades in India and their impact on society, economy and environment

CURRENT ISSUE

RECENTLY PUBLISHED

RECENTLY PUBLISHED

FOR AUTHORS

FOR AUTHORS

LEAD Journal will consider for publication manuscript submissions of original work. LEAD Journal specifically seeks to foster scholarship in following areas:

  • Comparative approaches to the study of international environmental law, with a special emphasis on North-South issues;
  • Regional environmental law regimes among developing countries;
  • Implementation of international environmental law at regional and national levels;
  • Influence of international environmental law on national and regional environmental law regimes, and cross-fertilisation;
  • Cross-sectoral analysis in the study of environmental law, especially study of the relationship between trade and the environment, property rights and the environment, intellectual property and the environment, human rights and the environment;
  • International & regional environment governance;

OUR PARTNERS

OUR PARTNERS

LEAD Journal is indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals, EBSCO, Heinonline, Manupatra, Genamics JournalSeek, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS), Open J-Gate and Scopus.

LEAD Journal is managed by the Law, Environment and Development Centre (LEDC) from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, and the International Environmental Law Research Centre (IELRC).