Kanika Jamwal

she/her; doctoral candidate in water law at @nus_law; socio-legal researcher, working on water, environment, climate change, rights of nature

[Kanika Jamwal @kjamwal_]

I write in @the_hindu today—

💧On #WorldWaterDay, PM @narendramodi & @JalShaktiMin called for community action for water conservation.

💧To that end, I lay out 5 suggestions that must be considered while framing rural water policy.

💧Thoughts/feedback welcome!

[Nidhi Jamwal @JamwalNidhi]

A New Low in Media

Received a call from a media house which is bringing out a special magazine edition on Environment Day featuring people working on sustainability.

I was offered a full-page profile space IF I PAID THEM Rs 2.5 lakh.

You can imagine what my reply was!

[Kanika Jamwal @kjamwal_]

Forever indebted to the many rural communities for their incredible work and resilience, and for sharing their knowledge and experiences with me. (3/3)

[Kanika Jamwal @kjamwal_]

Grateful to @Indian_Rivers for including my editorial on the role of local communities in managing water in their compilation. For several years, many local communities have been quietly engaging in water self-governance. (1/3)

[SANDRP @Indian_Rivers]

World Water Day 2026: Collective Groundwater Conservation Efforts in India https://t.co/0Bx5DaHmDx

[Kanika Jamwal @kjamwal_]

Yet, their stories remain untold and their efforts go unnoticed — both in literature & in practice. My doctoral research— which I will be completing soon— foregrounds some of these stories. (2/3)

[Kanika Jamwal @kjamwal_]

⛰️ Any exercise of redefining should consider the impacts of redefining on such communities and the non-human environment. Accordingly, communities should be allowed to weigh in, alongside any other epistemic experts being consulted. (4/4)

[Kanika Jamwal @kjamwal_]

⛰️Redefining the #Aravallis

The Aravallis cannot be fully understood or redefined through a doctrinal lens alone. Local communities, alongside other epistemic experts, must be meaningfully included in any exercise of redefining. Here’s why (1/4)—

[Kanika Jamwal @kjamwal_]

⛰️ However, for the local communities that inhabit them, the Aravallis are far more than a geological feature. They are the basis of everyday survival; the hills hold their sacred forests (orans), grazing commons, and traditional water sources. (3/4)

[Down To Earth @down2earthindia]

A recent Supreme Court ruling allowing post facto environmental clearances risks hollowing out the precautionary principle, thereby undermining Indian environmental law, writes Kanika Jamwal https://t.co/WIKWL6GcVp

[Kanika Jamwal @kjamwal_]

🌳In this blog post, I underline a gap in the Supreme Court’s judgement in #Vanashakti, and explain why ex-post facto environmental clearances are ultra vires Indian environmental law.

🌿 Read here— https://t.co/CihYMqDhuX.

[Kanika Jamwal @kjamwal_]

Preliminary observation on the judgment in the Great Indian Bustard case: The Court repeatedly underscores the importance of considering the impacts of climate change on non-human species like the Godawan. This will hopefully bolster the conversation on the rights of nature too.

[Bar and Bench @barandbench]

Underground power lines, ban on new wind turbines: Supreme Court accepts measures to protect Great Indian Bustard

Read more: https://t.co/RVk3bVkbMH

[Kanika Jamwal @kjamwal_]

Why is the reversal of #Vanashakti vexed?
1.Ex-post facto clearances violate the precautionary principle.
2. Compensation/penalty may not suffice because effects of environmental harm may not manifest fully until years later. Detailed argument here: https://t.co/kVGXslSjky

[Chaitanya Raj Singh @crsinghbhati]

Will Rajasthan’s hardy desert berry survive the changing landscape? https://t.co/3KFvGFYTk2 via @scroll_in

[Kanika Jamwal @kjamwal_]

🌳 Can vulnerable communities litigate climate change in the face of scientific uncertainty? I propose a litigation strategy— the Indian Supreme Court’s iteration of the precautionary principle. 

📖 Read the open access chapter here: https://t.co/OWfAmnEPoS.

@SabinCenter

[Kanika Jamwal @kjamwal_]

This is a long-awaited, landmark ruling, indeed. Ex-post facto clearances violate the precautionary principle - I explain how in my 2021 article in the @IndianLawReview. Can be accessed here: https://t.co/Pag0YzsMSl.

[Down To Earth @down2earthindia]

Axing legal loophole: Supreme Court prohibits retrospective environmental clearances — scraps government notifications

https://t.co/YnA7CAL91p

[Kanika Jamwal @kjamwal_]

A superb initiative by @thebetterindia, recognising inspiring efforts aimed at conserving biodiversity.

Would love to see a longer list which foregrounds the efforts of the many rural communities engaged in biodiversity conservation using their local knowledge systems.

[The Better India @thebetterindia]

India's rich biodiversity faces several threats, but these eight heroes are rising to the challenge. From otters in Goa to snow leopards in the Himalayas, they're champions for endangered species, dedicating their lives to protection and awareness.

#EndangeredWildlifeIndia #BiodiversityDay #IndiaWildlife #WildlifeConservation

[Kanika Jamwal @kjamwal_]

With global climate change & the increasing severity of heatwaves, particularly in north-western india, we must also consider including heatwaves in the list of notified ‘disasters’ under NDMA.

[Chaitanya Raj Singh @crsinghbhati]

पिछले कुछ वर्षों में देशभर में हीटवेव का संकट देखा जा रहा है। विशेषकर राजस्थान के पश्चिमी जिलों जैसलमेर, बाड़मेर, बीकानेर में प्रतिवर्ष तापमान 45 डिग्री सेल्सियस से भी पार चला जाता है। यह केवल क्षेत्रीय संकट नहीं रह गया है, इसका प्रभाव नेशनल लेवल पर भी देखा जा रहा है।

जब तापमान चरम पर होता है, तो सरकारें तात्कालिक कदम उठाकर कुछ राहत देने की कोशिश करती हैं, लेकिन यह दीर्घकालिक समाधान नहीं है। जलवायु परिवर्तन के चलते यह स्थिति आगे और विकराल होने वाली है। अब समय है कि हम अल्पकालिक उपायों की बजाय भविष्योन्मुखी सोच अपनाएं।

ऐसे में हमें तमिलनाडु राज्य से सीखने की आवश्यकता है, जिसने हीटवेव मैनेजमेंट को प्राथमिकता दी है। तमिलनाडु ने न सिर्फ चेतावनी प्रणाली और स्वास्थ्य तैयारी पर बल दिया, बल्कि सामुदायिक भागीदारी और नगरीय नियोजन में भी बड़े बदलाव किए हैं।

हीटवेव से जनसामान्य की कार्यक्षमता, पशुधन और खेती पर नकारात्मक प्रभाव पड़ता है। इस दौरान ग्रामीण जन, गिग वर्कर, निर्माण श्रमिक और रेहड़ी पटरी वाले मजदूर सबसे अधिक जोखिम में होते हैं।

इस संदर्भ में भारत सरकार को "नेशनल हीटवेव पॉलिसी" लाने पर विचार करना चाहिए। जिसमें मजबूत चेतावनी प्रणाली, जागरूकता अभियान, नगरीय नियोजन में पौधारोपण और जल स्रोतों को प्राथमिकता, पेयजल की उपलब्धता, वर्किंग ऑवर्स में लचीलापन और स्वास्थ्य सेवाओं की पूर्व में तैयारी हो।

देशभर में हीटवेव से प्रभावित होने वाले राज्यों में राजस्थान प्रमुख है, ऐसे में राजस्थान को तमिलनाडु मॉडल को अपनाते हुए "स्टेट हीटवेव फ्रेमवर्क" लाना चाहिए। हीटवेव वर्ष में एक या दो माह की समस्या नहीं है बल्कि जलवायु संकट का स्पष्ट संकेत है। इससे निपटने के लिए वैज्ञानिक सोच व दूरगामी नीति ही एकमात्र विकल्प है।

@byadavbjp @RajCMO @Sanjay4India1

https://t.co/LE0gaHwm8w

[Kanika Jamwal @kjamwal_]

Only just climate action — one that considers the interest of non-human environment. 🐦

[Sumit Dookia @sumitdookia]

#HappyMothersDay2025
Great Indian Bustard with chick, may the tribe flourish and prosper always. Photo taken from community owned landscape. #GIB
PC - Radheshyam Bishnoi
@and_ecology
@IndiAves
@orientbirdclub
@BRStretch @BirdersStore @AsianWildlife @VinoBhojak @moefcc

[Kanika Jamwal @kjamwal_]

Interestingly, some High Courts in India have recognised Nature and/or its components as legal persons, declaring various government officials & public at large as persons 'in loco parentis'-persons in place of a parent, responsible for representing interests of Nature.

[Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature - GARN @garnglobal]

🌿 #RightsofNature news:  🇳🇱 The city of Groningen is moving forward with a proposal to explore how Nature could be given a legal voice—possibly through a guardian who represents its interests in municipal decisions. 

More information: https://t.co/gKfTygQC71

[Kanika Jamwal @kjamwal_]

A fine example which emphasises the need for #JustTransition - potentially adverse impacts of mitigation and adaptation projects on the immediate human and non-human environment should be taken into account.

[Chaitanya Raj Singh @crsinghbhati]

Carbon credit plans must factor in water security. A systems approach is needed for true sustainability. Via @htTweets

#ClimateAction #WaterSecurity #Sustainability