This text questions the implementation of "good governance" in the Pondicherry Region, South of India. It focuses on participatory water management which is an interesting prism to understand the transformation of local governance systems, including the changes and resistance of traditional elites. This text is based on 4-year field study, based in Pondicherry (2013-2017). In 2016, the opportunity of a new program promoting participatory management of tanks and of a water festival made it possible to study the positions of the persons and institutions involved as well as the conflicts and coordination concerning the maintenance and rehabilitation of tanks. We observed resistance from traditional elites who participate in a corruption system that benefits from funding for tank maintenance. It involves politicians, administrations and contractors. Meanwhile, alternative mediations are developing, involving associations and members of the administration within a broader coalition that promotes other points of view on tank management. The "horizontal governance" they implement, however, fails to engage more broadly.