- A new study analyzing 65 water-related policies in India, Bangladesh, Kenya, and Tanzania found that promised “transformations” are failing to materialize.
- Researchers used the SPIRIT framework to measure Scalability, Power sensitive Inclusivity, Reflexivity, Institutional flexibility and Temporality and found that South Asian policies remain trapped in a “techno-managerial” approach.
- In East Africa, policies are more inclusive but lack the long-term “temporality” needed to survive political cycles.
- The authors argue that true transformation in the water sector requires the “politicization” to include marginalized voices like fisherfolk and small traders.
By Fredrick Mugira, 27 January 2026
For many people in the Global South, the word “transformation” is common in conversation but not in daily life. In places like coastal Bangladesh and dry parts of Kenya, governments often use this word in their plans. They use it to describe a shift from outdated infrastructure to a future where everyone can access water fairly.
However, a recent study in Environmental Science and Policy undertaken under the Water Transformation Pathways Planning project found that for many in South Asia and East Africa, this transformation remains just words. The research, led by Postdoc Scholar Mijo Luke from Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati and Assistant Professor Sumit Vij from Wageningen University, reveals a large gap between what leaders promise and what actually happens in water management.
Researchers who carried out this study.
Measuring the ‘SPIRIT’ of Policy
The research team reviewed 65 policy documents from India (26), Bangladesh (19), Kenya (12), and Tanzania (8). To get deeper insights, they used a new tool called the SPIRIT framework. This framework looks at six main features: scalability, power-sensitivitve inclusivity, institutional flexibility, reflexivity, and temporality.
“Transformation is characterized as being restructuring, path-shifting, and system-wide,” the authors note. “It entails addressing the root causes of challenges, such as vulnerabilities to climate change and inequitable use of natural resources.”
The South Asian Techno-Trap
Research on India and Bangladesh shows that engineering continues to lead the sector. The study found that these countries use a “techno-managerial” approach. While this helps plan large infrastructure projects, these policies often fail the “power-sensitivity” part.
In these models, marginalized groups like fisherfolk and small-scale boat traders are often excluded from decisions. The policies tend to focus on short-term national goals and rarely ask if building more dams or pipes truly addresses deeper social inequalities.
This “infrastructure-first” mindset often treats water as something to be moved, not as a shared ecosystem. By focusing on large diversions and concrete embankments, these policies often ignore the “environmental flows” needed for local biodiversity and the people who rely on it.
When success is measured only by how much water is delivered or how many kilometers of pipe are built, the loss of a river’s health and the displacement of communities along its banks are rarely seen as policy failures.
The study also points out a lack of “reflexivity” in South Asian water governance. There is a steady reluctance to learn from past ecological mistakes, and new policies often repeat the top-down structures from the colonial era. Rather than adapting to the unpredictable effects of climate change, these frameworks usually stick to rigid, “hard” engineering solutions, leaving little space for the flexible, community-led water management that has supported these regions for centuries.
East Africa: Participation Without Longevity
In Kenya and Tanzania, researchers found a different set of challenges. These East African countries scored higher on “power-sensitive inclusivity.” Their policies support change at many levels, from local villages to transnational water bodies, and they encourage marginalized groups to participate.
However, these gains are often weakened by a lack of “temporality.” Without a long-term vision that survives changes in political leadership, even the most inclusive water policies may remain “unfinished business.”
This lack of “temporality” leads to a cycle of “project-based” governance instead of real change. In Kenya and Tanzania, strong policy frameworks often depend on immediate donor funding or the priorities of the current administration. When funding ends or political leaders change, inclusive structures like local water user associations often collapse or lose their influence. This “short-termism” blocks the long-term memory needed to manage water resources across generations, especially as the climate crisis grows.
While the East African model is good at including people, it often lacks the “institutional flexibility” to turn participation into lasting power. The study found that even when marginalized groups join policy talks, their input is often ignored if it conflicts with big economic goals like commercial irrigation or industrial use. Without a policy “spirit” that ties these promises to a lasting legal framework, the voices of vulnerable groups can still be silenced by future political changes.
From Plumbing to Politics
The study challenges the current approach, finding that water sector policies in these four countries have not become truly transformative, even after years of reform.
The authors suggest closing this gap by encouraging the “politicization and pluralization” of water management. In other words, water should not be seen as just a technical problem for engineers to solve. It should be understood as a political issue that involves power dynamics, historical rights, and the varied needs of people.
“There is a need for designing pathways that recognize diverse interests,” the study concludes. Unless policies can meet the SPIRIT test, real transformation may remain only a promise on paper.
Citations: Luke, M., Ondiek, R. A., Izdori, F., Das, G., & Vij, S. (2026). Is there water sector transformation evident in policies? Experiences from Asia and Africa. Environmental Science and Policy, 176, 104307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104307
