Capacitating Development @Cauvery Delta #joint- groundwater learning through science-policy-user interactions

In this paper we explore the relation – discrepancies and correlations – between surface & groundwater practices in the Cauvery delta, to (re)connect science, policy makers and grassroots initiatives that aim for sustainable delta futures. Key is the fluid relationship between rain, run-off and water in the ground, which has been: 1) overshadowed by a prevalent surface water thinking long performed by state agencies, and 2) outflanked by a contemporary reality of overpumping groundwater. The role of knowledge (data) and tools such as models, provided by science and relied upon by policymakers, have in this context been incomplete and contested. With an inability to deal with contemporary challenges (by state agencies), communities are left to respond (and are looked at to fill the gaps). New developments in citizen science and remote sensing democratise data and offer new pathways. What is needed is a situated science – one that accounts for how science is done and how it informs policy and practice (and how it can be informed by practice). We use the development of our own surface-groundwater model – initially at odds with farmers perceptions and experiences – as a case in point