A case study of Nenmeni Rural Water Supply Scheme, Wayanad district, Kerala, India: The Pursuit for Sustainability, Equity and Inclusion

Abstract

The concept of sustainability gained prominence in development discourse following the publication of ‘The Limits to Growth’ (Meadows et al., 1972) and ‘Our Common Future’ (WCED, 1987). Since then, debates on sustainability have expanded beyond environmental concerns to include social and economic dimensions. Ensuring the sustainability of rural water supply system has consequently become a major global challenge. This paper presents a qualitative, longitudinal case study of the Nenmeni Rural Water Supply Scheme (NRWSS), a medium-sized, community-managed rural water supply system in Wayanad district, Kerala, India. Using participatory chronicling from inception to the present, the study examines how NRWSS expanded from 727 house service connections in 2007 to over 5,100 connections by 2025 under the management of a community-based organization. The findings demonstrate how sustainability has been pursued as a central objective through equity and inclusion, cost recovery, professionalized community management, and institutional adaptation over time. The study contributes to global debates on sustainable rural water governance by illustrating how community-managed systems can sustain service delivery while addressing both resource and methodological challenges.