Participatory rural appraisal for community-based water governance in rural India through a researcher’s positionality-informed approach

Abstract

This present study offers the methodological intersections of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and non-native ethnography within the context of community-based water governance in Mohlai village, Chhattisgarh, India. It is an ethnographic study conducted in Mohlai village with fieldwork conducted across multiple stakeholder groupings, engaged through household and session-level PRA exercises rather than a fixed enumerated sample. Drawing on a hydrosocial theory lens, the researcher identified critical systemic issues, including seasonal drinking water scarcity, inequality in water distribution and supply, inefficient wastewater management, and declining groundwater levels. However, water access in Mohlai village is driven by economic capacity, infrastructural position, institutional authority and social power relations rather than physical scarcity. The article reflects on the unique challenges faced by a non-native ethnographer, focusing on barriers such as linguistic limitations, cultural barriers, and power asymmetries in developmental deliberations. Through strategic rapport-building and collaborative validation, including a seasonal calendar and resource mapping, the study demonstrates how technocentric tools and cross-cultural immersion can reduce translation error and support triangulation across evidence sources in complex rural environments. The study’s primary contribution is methodological and empirical at once. It depicts a non-native researcher’s stance on shaping participatory methods and how they could be employed to inquire into water governance within a rural context. Non-native researcher encounter barriers in conducting research in Mohlai village. PRA enhances inclusivity in water governance deliberations in Mohlai village. Rapport serves as a key to effective engagement for research fieldwork. Strategic engagement is key to gaining entry into the research field. Hydrosocial lens shows water is socially produced, not just technical.