Bring up the topic of water, and you are bound to get everybody’s attention and probably a heated discussion going. Water is a part of our lives in so many different ways: not just for survival activities of drinking or cooking, but also in the production of our food, in many industrial activities, and even as a carrier of our waste. And in India, as in many other densely populated and
rapidly industrialising sub-tropical regions, water scarcity, water pollution and too much water (flooding) are all major societal challenges. Responding to these challenges properly requires understanding how water is the quintessential environmental public good, and what kind of public actions may be required.