The impact of new institutions in participatory water managerment such as Pani Panchayat (PP) in Odisha aive a useful insight into equity and access to water, transfer of property rights and handling water conflicts. Odisha is a relatively high water resource endowed state in india that has experienced some recert poliCy changes tnat nave shifted water management and irrigation system from government departments to farmer's organizations under WUA, During the 1990s, the state dermonstrated massive inter est in farmers' participation in water and the Odisha integrated Irrigated Agriculture. The structure of the PP is a muiti-tiered system, with user-stakeholders representing at different leveis. However, state continues to retain the power to supervise the functioning of the entire systern. Performance of PP, which is a part of the irrigation system, largely depends on the nature of their coordination with higher level institutions and state agencies. Pani Panchayat is seli-sustaining and is to be supported by the payments from its beneficiaries and rnembers.