scholarly journals The Existence of Multiple Hydro-Mentalities and their Implications for Water Governance: A Case Study from Sri Lanka

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2043
Author(s):  
Kavindra Paranage ◽  
Nancy Yang
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Alternative Position ◽  
Downstream Communities ◽  
Technical Solutions

Traditionally, the literature on water management has considered water from a techno-realist point of view by focusing on finding the most effective technical solutions to distribute the largest quantities of water among populations. This paper takes an alternative position by suggesting that particular “ways” of managing water are culturally embedded and that water management practices stem from an underlying hydro-mentality among water users and system designers. To this end, we explore two different water systems in Sri Lanka and argue that each system is underpinned by a particular hydro-mentality that influences the ways in which water is managed by downstream communities.

scholarly journals Understanding the Relationship between Water Infrastructure and Socio-Political Configurations: A Case Study from Sri Lanka

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kavindra Paranage
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Social Stratification ◽  
Irrigation System ◽  
Water Infrastructure ◽  
Infrastructure Management ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Academic Scholarship ◽  
The Social ◽  
Downstream Communities

Academic scholarship in the social sciences has, in recent years, documented how water management infrastructure connects and disconnects people and flows, portraying and defining inequalities. The present work contributes to advancing this perspective by undertaking a case study to comparatively examine two irrigation-based water infrastructure systems in Sri Lanka: the tank cascade system and the surface irrigation system. The analysis demonstrates that differences in the layout of the water infrastructure directly contribute to the ways in which downstream communities are socially, economically and politically configured. Specifically, the arrangement of water infrastructure influences the degree of water users’ dependence on each other, the degree of social stratification between head-end and tail-end farmers, and the degree to which water is regarded as an ‘economic’ object. It can be concluded that the technical system of water infrastructure is inextricably bound to society and should, therefore, be considered a socio-material assemblage. Thus, it is important that policy decisions on water infrastructure management treat the structuring of infrastructure as experimental and potentially reversible.

from the plot to the river basin - agrisatwebgis®: a tool for efficient water management

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andres Cuesta ◽  
Carmen Plaza ◽  
María Calera ◽  
Vicente Bodas ◽  
Anna Osann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Continuous Innovation ◽  
La Mancha ◽  
Resolution Level

<p>The rigorous management of water in agriculture must be seen from the point of view of all its actors, covering the information and knowledge needs of each one of them: from supporting the farmer in making irrigation decisions at the foot of the plot, until the collection and management of objective information at the basin level, through planning and control at the level of user communities. Today it is not conceived to address this enormous task without resorting to the available technological arsenal, but to speak of complex technologies is to speak of a high degree of specialization that escapes individual capacities. In this context, successful solutions arise from cooperation between entities of different nature. An example of this is the collaboration between the Remote Sensing Section and GIS of the University of Castilla La Mancha and the company AgriSat Iberia SL, which have created a dynamic of continuous innovation work to, firstly, transfer complex knowledge in format to the farmer of simple services of direct application, later, with the information generated at the intraparcel level, to scale to the level required by the entities or authorities involved in water governance, and finally, to redirect efforts and resources in research, development and innovation from of a better knowledge of their perception, degree of adoption and suggestions for improvement in this regard.</p><p>The last result of this fruitful collaboration has been the development of an application that integrates information on the state of the crops, from satellite images, to predict reliably and at an intraparcel scale (with a resolution level of 100 m<sup>2</sup>) your needs water a week seen. This allows quantifying, at any moment of the crop cycle, its accumulated demand for water, and adding it spatially to the exploitation level, of the irrigation community or of the river basin. From the estimation of the relative photosynthetic activity obtained from the images, it is possible to know the evolution of the crops throughout their growth and development cycle, as well as their spatial variability, in a simple and intuitive way.</p><p>There are three technologies that jointly facilitate this important leap in water management: remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and information and communication technologies (ICT).</p><p>Its online character makes it a service accessible from anywhere with data connection, and in turn makes it a “live” system not only for its capacity for functional expansion but for the possibility of increasing the quantity and quality of the sources of information, allowing access to each new improvement immediately.</p>

Insight into the Prevalence and Distribution of Microbial Contamination To Evaluate Water Management in the Fresh Produce Processing Industry

2012 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 671-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
KEVIN HOLVOET ◽  
LIESBETH JACXSENS ◽  
IMCA SAMPERS ◽  
MIEKE UYTTENDAELE
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Microbial Contamination ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Fresh Produce ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Processing Industry ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Fresh Cut ◽  
Insight Into

This study provided insight into the degree of microbial contamination in the processing chain of prepacked (bagged) lettuce in two Belgian fresh-cut produce processing companies. The pathogens Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes were not detected. Total psychrotrophic aerobic bacterial counts (TPACs) in water samples, fresh produce, and environmental samples suggested that the TPAC is not a good indicator of overall quality and best manufacturing practices during production and processing. Because of the high TPACs in the harvested lettuce crops, the process water becomes quickly contaminated, and subsequent TPACs do not change much throughout the production process of a batch. The hygiene indicator Escherichia coli was used to assess the water management practices in these two companies in relation to food safety. Practices such as insufficient cleaning and disinfection of washing baths, irregular refilling of the produce wash baths with water of good microbial quality, and the use of high product/water ratios resulted in a rapid increase in E. coli in the processing water, with potential transfer to the end product (fresh-cut lettuce). The washing step in the production of fresh-cut lettuce was identified as a potential pathway for dispersion of microorganisms and introduction of E. coli to the end product via cross-contamination. An intervention step to reduce microbial contamination is needed, particularly when no sanitizers are used as is the case in some European Union countries. Thus, from a food safety point of view proper water management (and its validation) is a critical point in the fresh-cut produce processing industry.

Water User Organizations and Social Capital

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalia M. Gouda
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Water User ◽  
Irrigation Water Management ◽  
Water Users ◽  
The Impact

Chapters 3 and 4 four set out the findings of four case studies in two different governorates, Kafr al-Sheikh and Fayoum, covering two periods: the 1950s and 1960s, and the 1970s onward. They described and analyzed similar village fields and contrasting irrigation water management fields. This chapter draws on this material to examine the role played by social capital in influencing the functioning of water users' organizations (WUOs). First, it sets out the findings from using the developed framework in the four case study areas. This is followed by a discussion, based on these findings, of the limitations of Putnam's theory and approach in explaining the impact of social capital on the functioning of WUOs. Next, it discusses the enhancements of the conceptual framework based on the empirical findings and their theoretical implications. Finally, the chapter looks at how the framework can be generalized.

scholarly journals Irrigation Governance in Developing Countries: Current Problems and Solutions

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Playán ◽  
Juan Sagardoy ◽  
Rosendo Castillo
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Problem Solution ◽  
Solution Vector ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Problems And Solutions ◽  
Solution Matrix

The evolution of water governance and societal perception in large, public irrigation systems in developing countries has triggered successive waves of reforms since the 1980s. Among them are Participatory Irrigation Management, Irrigation Management Transfer, Public-Private Partnerships or Market Instruments. Reforms have generalized the implementation of Water Users Associations (WUAs) in continuous interaction with a public Irrigation Agency. This paper set out to review recurrent problems and reported solutions in the governance of irrigated areas in developing countries and to relate solutions to problems in a case study context. The combination of literature review and the experience of the authors permitted identification and characterization of eight problems and eight solutions. A semi-quantitative approach was designed to relate solutions to problems in case study WUAs. The approach is based on the definition of a generic problem-solution matrix and a WUA-specific problem vector. The solution vector indicates the adequacy of each solution to a case study WUA. It can be obtained by multiplying the problem vector with the problem-solution matrix. Application of this approach to seven case study WUAs demonstrated its potential. Local fine-tuning of the coefficients defining the problem-solution matrix seems required to draw conclusions effectively guiding decision-making.

scholarly journals Overview of participatory water management to overcome drought towards agricultural sector

2021 ◽  
Vol 249 ◽  
pp. 01008
Author(s):  
Dian Tristi Agustini ◽  
Johan Iskandar
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
Good Communication ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Participatory Water Management

Drought gives severe impact on agricultural system on fulfilling global food demands. Addressing the root causes of drought related to the community as water users can be done by combating illegal water extraction and controlling water supply. The discussion is based on information obtained from scientific literatures, such as Science Direct, Google Scholar and Scopus. From literature survey, participatory water management engage stakeholders harmonizing water supply and demand to tackle drought through water resources protection and efficient water use. Giving more power of people in the system impacts their better involvement in planning and decision-making processes. Top-down and bottomup participation models have different dynamics in water governance and both can be implemented based on the local contexts. Trade-offs and dilemmas should be considered in order to produce an effective participation. Collaboration and good communication among water users result in a better water management.

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