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India has characterised shale gas as a transitional energy source and is planning to commercially scale the extraction of shale gas through hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Currently, India has announced 56 fracking projects spread across six Indian states. In doing so, exploration of shale gas resources has started in India. The regulations that govern conventional extraction processes are also applicable to fracking activities. The conflation of fracking with conventional drilling processes in India's regulatory approach may have implications for the country's water security, given the unique risks that fracking poses to water resources. This article analyses India's regulatory framework applicable to fracking-specific water (FSW) issues. In doing so, this article identifies four key paradigms of water security and maps these key paradigms with the US fracking experience, identifying four key FSW issues. Subsequently, this article evaluates if India's multilevel regulatory system regulates the identified four FSW issues. In conclusion, this research finds that before commercially scaling fracking operations, India must conduct a scientific inquiry on the impact of proposed fracking projects on its water resources. In doing so, it must re-examine its regulations at the federal and state levels to comprehensively cover FSW issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and groundwater contamination debate started as soon as the commercial production of shale gas began in the United States. Since then there have been contrasting studies that have analysed the risk of groundwater contamination in carrying out fracking activities. In India, fracking is at its initial stage and therefore considering the groundwater contamination probabilities at the proposed sites, the Indian legislators/regulators may invoke the precautionary principle. This paper analyses the contrasting research over the probability of groundwater contamination, especially through methane migration, at fracking sites. Further, this paper examines the need for applying the precautionary principle, considering the scientific uncertainty prevailing over methane migration and groundwater contamination, to the Indian legal regime applicable to fracking activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]