Water security in Southern Africa: discourses securitising water and the implications for water governance and politics

2016 ◽  
pp. 280-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Meissner
Keyword(s):  
Southern Africa ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Water Security

Water Governance and Management in Indus Basin - Challenges & Threats

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marium Sara Minhas Bandeali
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Policy ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
The State ◽  
Indus Basin

Water governance and management are important challenges for the River Indus Basin in Pakistan. Water governance refers to social, political and economic factors that influence water management. The water scarcity and water security are a major concern for the state to control its water resources. The study aims to give Sindh water policy by exploring the challenges to Indus Basin in managing water resources and to identify opportunities Indus Basin can look to improve water management. Interviews were conducted from water experts and analysts having 5 years’ experience or more in the water sector of Pakistan through a semi-structured self-developed questionnaire using purposive sampling technique and transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The findings show that increasing population, climatic change and rising demand of water are major challenges Indus is facing and Indus with time is getting water-scarce therefore need strong institutions, civil society and legislatures to ensure equitable distribution of water and maintain the ecosystem. The study emphasizes that water governance and management are necessary for sustainable use of water. Pakistan, the water stress country needs to address ‘governance’ at a wider scale to solve problems in the Indus Basin for the livelihood of people. The research will benefit the state, water experts, institutions as well as civil society to promote efficient use of water in Indus Basin.

scholarly journals Stagnant Rivers: Transboundary Water Security in South and Southeast Asia

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Williams
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
National Security ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Transboundary Rivers ◽  
Transboundary Water ◽  
South And Southeast Asia ◽  
Alternative Perspective ◽  
International Stability ◽  
Asian Context

Transboundary rivers are increasingly difficult to govern and often involve issues of national security, territoriality, and competition. In developing countries, the management and governance of these rivers is dominated by a particular decision making group, often comprised of politicians, bureaucrats, and engineers. These groups perpetrate a technocratic paradigm towards the management of transboundary water, with limited genuine international cooperation. The transboundary water situation in South and Southeast Asia is becoming increasingly fraught as the geopolitical context is changing due to China’s increased involvement in regional issues and climate change. With over 780 million people dependent on these rivers, their governance is vital to regional and international stability. Yet, the technocratic management of transboundary rivers persists and is likely to become increasingly unsustainable and inequitable. A discourse-based approach is applied to consider transboundary water governance in the shifting South and Southeast Asian context. The result is an alternative perspective of why governance approaches on transboundary rivers have resisted meaningful reform.

scholarly journals Explaining and Measuring Social-Ecological Pathways: The Case of Global Changes and Water Security

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Bolognesi ◽  
Andrea K. Gerlak ◽  
Gregory Giuliani
Keyword(s):  
Water Governance ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Data Cube ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Technical Requirements ◽  
Social Ecological

The Social-Ecological Systems (SES) framework serves as a valuable framework to explore and understand social and ecological interactions, and pathways in water governance. Yet, it lacks a robust understanding of change. We argue an analytical and methodological approach to engaging global changes in SES is critical to strengthening the scope and relevance of the SES framework. Relying on SES and resilience thinking, we propose an institutional and cognitive model of change that institutions and natural resources systems co-evolve to provide a dynamic understanding of SES that stands on three causal mechanisms: institutional complexity trap, rigidity trap, and learning processes. We illustrate how Data Cube technology could overcome current limitations and offer reliable avenues to test hypothesis about the dynamics of social-ecological systems and water security by offering to combine spatial and time data with no major technical requirements for users.

scholarly journals Water Security in Africa in the Age of Global Climate Change

Daedalus ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 150 (4) ◽  
pp. 7-26
Author(s):  
Allen Isaacman ◽  
Muchaparara Musemwa
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Well Being ◽  
African Continent ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Water Shortages ◽  
Critical Dimensions ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This essay explores the multiple ways in which the nexuses between water scarcity and climate change are socially and historically grounded in ordinary people's lived experiences and are embedded in specific fields of power. Here we specifically delineate four critical dimensions in which the water crises confronting the African continent in an age of climate change are clearly expressed: the increasing scarcity, privatization, and commodification of water in urban centers; the impact of large dams on the countryside; the health consequences of water shortages and how they, in turn, affect other aspects of people's experiences, sociopolitical dynamics, and well-being, broadly conceived; and water governance and the politics of water at the local, national, and transnational levels. These overarching themes form the collective basis for the host of essays in this volume that provide rich accounts of conflicts and struggles over water use and how these tensions have been mitigated.

Water Security and Inclusive Water Governance in the Himalayas

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Stephanie Leder ◽  
Dil Khatri ◽  
Hemant Ojha
Keyword(s):  
Water Governance ◽  
Water Security

scholarly journals Public Participation of the River Chief System in China: Current Trends, Problems, and Perspectives

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3496
Author(s):  
Chenhui Wu ◽  
Maosen Ju ◽  
Longfei Wang ◽  
Xiangyi Gu ◽  
Cuiling Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Effective Measure ◽  
Term Operation ◽  
The Public ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Water Problems

The River Chief System (RCS) is an effective measure for China to solve complex water problems and maintain the health of rivers and lakes. It is an institutional innovation to improve the water governance system and ensure national water security. Guiding and encouraging the public to participate in the construction of the RCS can promote the improvement of the level of social governance. The RCS is an effective supplement and supervision to the performance of the river chief and related departments, which can effectively promote the transformation of the RCS from nominal to practical and efficient. This study summarizes the innovative models and practical effects of, and public participation in, the RCS, analyzes the prominent problems, and proposes some measures to maximize the influence of public participation. The study provides insights on how to ensure the long-term operation of the RCS, a reference for countries around the world as a suitable solution for the sustainable management of water environments.

The myth of abundance: water resources in humid regions

Water Policy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1065-1080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Praskievicz
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
Improved Outcomes ◽  
Riparian System ◽  
Anglophone World ◽  
Effective Water

Abstract Water resources in humid regions are perceived as abundant, and water-governance systems are based on the expectation of consistent availability of water to meet all needs. In arid regions, in contrast, the operating assumption is that water is a scarce resource that must be allocated systematically to avoid conflict. The ‘myth of abundance’ common in humid regions is counterproductive to effective water governance. This paper provides an overview of the concepts of water scarcity and water security and explains how water governance in humid regions fits into these frameworks. It then addresses the riparian system for allocating water rights and how this system promotes the myth of abundance. Three case studies are presented from humid regions of the Anglophone world, highlighting the shortcomings of abundance-based water-governance systems in these regions. Finally, the water-security framework is advocated as an alternative that addresses fundamental flaws of the abundance-based approach, namely issues related to ecosystems, water quality, disasters, and conflict. Using a goal of water security, rather than a perception of abundance, as the basis for water governance will lead to improved outcomes, especially given future climate change and population growth.

Land-Water-Security Nexus: Changing Geopolitics in the Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-87
Author(s):  
David Ross Olanya
Keyword(s):  
Water Governance ◽  
Water Security ◽  
The State ◽  
Nile Basin ◽  
Framework Agreement ◽  
Joint Coordination ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
Management And Development ◽  
Gulf States ◽  
Land Water

This article extends the debate on the shift in water security governance in the Nile Basin countries. Water as an object of analysis was previously embedded in a depoliticized governance framework now faces politicization in the context of food, energy and climate change. In considering land-water-security nexus, population and climate variations drive Middle East and North Africa (mena) policies for the return of the state primacy in water governance. As Egypt and Sudan maintain their dynamics of hegemony in Nile Basin countries, Gulf States however are deploying proxy water diplomacy through investment in agricultural farmlands in Nile Basin countries. Increasing number of actors alter water access and security across formal and informal domains. The Nile Basin Cooperative Agreement (cfa) remains contested between upstream and downstream riparian states as being uncoordinated water management and development policies. Incorporating market and local users beyond the state gets politicized in securing water security. In view of this, this article hence suggests that power relations are not static, but subject to the changing circumstances. Egypt’s water security would be more sustainable when it engages cfa countries in a joint coordination and development projects.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document