Assessing the resilience of water supply infrastructure to climate variability: a current status assessment in rural India

Rural Indian communities, characterised by the decentralised and informal nature of water governance, are extremely vulnerable to climate shocks that impair local water supply infrastructures (WSIs). This study assesses WSI resilience in the face of current climate variability and examines the multidimensional elements that influence resilience results. The research uses a participatory, bottom-up, mixed-method approach to apply the “How Tough is WASH (HTIW)” framework across four rural communities—Srayikkadu (Kerala), Ahirpurwa (Bihar), Kali Nagar (West Bengal), and Kanti (Haryana), which represent distinct geological, climatic, and socio-cultural settings. According to the findings, Kanti village in Haryana has the most resilient WSIs, which appear to be associated with significant private sector and local government participation, whereas Ahirpurwa and Kali Nagar are the least resilient due to low institutional, social, and physical support. Despite contextual variations, disrupted community governance and supply chains were recognised as the prevalent constraints across all communities, indicating limited public engagement and insufficient restoration mechanisms. These results suggest that social and institutional factors are important for understanding WSI resilience in these study communities, and that resilience is not determined by the performance of physical infrastructure alone. The study offers a new, bottom-up assessment of WSI resilience and outcomes, and emphasises the need for policy measures that develop institutional capacity, improve participatory governance, and understand the existing level of WSI climate resilience capability in order to prepare for long-term rural water security.