Bridging the Governance Gap: The Crisis of Water and Sanitation in India’s Peri-Urban Zones

Unplanned construction in these transitional zones has also led to the encroachment of natural drainage channels and wetlands. This "grey" urbanization is a major driver of artificial flooding, as seen in several Indian metros where the periphery lacks the resilience to handle heavy rainfall. The governance gap is exacerbated by the fact that the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts do not explicitly provide a framework for the management of these transitional spaces, leading to overlapping jurisdictions or total neglect. For a sustainable future, India needs to move beyond the binary of "rural" and "urban" governance. Policy interventions must focus on creating "Regional Planning Authorities" that can manage water resources and land use across administrative boundaries. Integrating peri-urban areas into the larger urban planning framework is essential to prevent public health crises and ensure environmental sustainability. UPSC Relevance: This topic is highly relevant for GS Paper I (Urbanization and its remedies) and GS Paper II (Governance and Local Bodies). Aspirants can use this as a case study for the limitations of the 74th Amendment and the challenges of "Census Towns" in questions regarding sustainable urban development and disaster management.