This article deals with the subject of water access in a peri-urban village of Haryana. It describes how power and social capital influence the flow of water. It argues that political power is a significant determinant influencing water security and those communities which lack the power to access w ater use social capital as an adaptiv e tool to enhance their w ater security.
The paper is organised as follows: Section 1 focuses on the introduction to the concept and theme; it gives an introduction to the place of study and briefly states the methodology used to conduct the research. Section 2 takes a historical perspective; it focuses on alienation suf f ered by lower castes; it discusses the plight of the lower castes in earlier times and also mentions the ways through which the upper caste communities dominated and influenced the access to w ater of the dalits. Section 3 discusses the current water supply situation of the village, especially focusing on the role of village politics in influencing w ater supply, followed by adaptive responses of the social groups which are not satisfied with the w ater supply situation. Section 4 highlights the role of social capital in shaping adaptation to water related problems, for drinking as well as water use in irrigation. It describes the t ypes of social capital that exist in the field and the influence of this in mediating water scarcity. Lastly , in section 5 the paper presents a set of conclusions, that can be drawn and a few recommendations that shall be helpful to policy makers, researchers and academicians.