Periurban spaces, that combine features of both rural and urban environments, are rapidly growing in importance and geographical spread in the global south. This paper seeks to examine the gendered dimensions of water insecurity induced by urbanisation and climate change in periurban spaces. It draws on ethnographic research work in Gurgaon and Mukteshwar in North India. It argues that the gendered impacts of urbanisation and climate change on water insecurity manifest in three ways. First, land use change accompanying urbanisation causes the local population to lose access to water sources such as springs; the effects of this are aggravated by changing patterns of precipitation. Together, this increases women’s water burdens. Second, occupational diversification in the face of urbanisation may cause women to take up water collection roles in communities in which this role was traditionally performed by men. This causes gender relations around water collection to change. The third way in which gender relations are impacted is through the expansion of urban water infrastructure. The acquisition of village commons such as grazing lands may cause households to switch from grazing to stall-feeding, increasing women’s involvement in fodder collection and changing gender relations around natural resources. The paper argues for increased focus in action research and capacity building on the transformation of gender relations around natural resources in periurban spaces.