Arizona governor B.B. Moeur’s 1934 declaration of martial law to prevent construction of a dam to supply California with water now belongs to history. The open political conflict that characterized the early relationship between the states of the Colorado River basin has given way to extensive cooperation, even as water scarcity poses an ever–greater challenge for management of the basin’s water resources. Yet halfway around the world, in India, history threatens to repeat itself. In April 2013, the Indian press reported a most unusual case of espionage: the police in Kerala, a southern state engaged in a long–running river basin dispute with the adjacent state of Tamil Nadu, announced that they had uncovered a spy working on behalf of their neighbor, who they charged had “developed a wide network with officials and ministers to source vital info regarding Kerala’s stand on interstate water issues” (Express News Service 2013). Both the 1934 invocation of martial law and the more recent 2013 allegation of espionage are poignant examples of behavior common to countries but not to subnational states. Though fortunately rare, they attest to the gravity of conflict over water that occurs within countries, rather than between them. These subnational hydropolitics are both surprisingly common and conceptually puzzling, for they occur despite the existence of relationships and institutions, ranging from water ministries to political party structures, that may be expected to prevent them. This book helps to explain why water so often proves to be a focal point for political conflict within nations as well as among them. This conclusion first reprises the argument of the book and its implications, then discusses directions for future research. Finally, it offers some policy recommendations for countries like India where sustainable water resource management is undermined by extensive subnational political conflict over water. In a world where water needs are growing rapidly even as water supply variability increases due to climate change, it is critical to understand the politics of water at subnational as well as international levels—and how this understanding can be leveraged to improve water resource management.
8. Politics of Water Rights and Water Resource Management: a Critical Analysis of Water Rights Systems and Legislations in Tamil Nadu