Indigenous Water Ontologies, Hydro-Development and the Human/More-Than-Human Right to Water: A Call for Critical Engagement with Plurilegal Water Realities

Water conflicts across the world are bringing to the fore fundamental challenges to the anthropocentric boundaries of the human rights paradigm. Engaging with the multi-layered legal ethnographic setting of the Xalalá dam project in Maya Q’eqchi’ territory in Guatemala, I will critically and empirically unpack not only the anthropocentric boundaries of the hegemonic human rights paradigm, but also the ontological differences between indigenous and Euro-Western legal conceptualizations of human-water-life. I argue that it is necessary to pave the way for urgent rethinking of the human right to water and, more broadly, human rights beyond the modern divide of nature-culture. International law and human rights scholars should therefore not be afraid of plurilegal water realities and should start engaging with these ontologically different concepts and practices. Embarking on a bottom-up co-theorizing about human and beyond-the-human water rights will be imperative to avoid recolonization of indigenous knowledges-ontologies by non-indigenous scholarships and public policy.

Controversial Connections: The Water-Energy-Food Nexus in the Blue Nile Basin of Ethiopia

The article takes hydro-development schemes in the Upper Blue Nile Basin of Ethiopia as an example to discuss the suitability and shortcomings of nexus approaches for the analysis of complex socio-ecological transformations. Based on critical theoretical debates and extensive field research in Ethiopia, the paper broadens the nexus perspective by integrating the three analytical dimensions of time, space, and power. The empirical material comes from a case study of the Fincha-Amerti-Neshe scheme that was implemented in three consecutive stages over almost half a century, combining dams, hydro-power plants, large-scale sugar cane plantations, and a factory for sugar production. The empirical findings follow the historical stages of the scheme and their physical outcomes, which affected much more than just water, energy, and food. The paper explores socio-ecological transformations along the analytical dimensions of time, scale, and power. First, it views time and temporality as essential aspects of change and calls for a more systematic recognition of the historical context out of which development trajectories and current nexus situations have emerged. Second, it takes a cross-scalar perspective to explain how local land use is influenced by regional and global drivers. And third, it emphasizes the importance of asymmetric power structures to explain the dynamics of hydro-developments and their social consequences. In conclusion, the paper calls for a “nexus-plus” perspective that is more sensitive to the historical and cross-scalar embeddedness of hydro-development, and which enables more inclusive and fair governance of scarce resources.

Small Hydro Development in the Indian Himalaya : Implications for Environmental Assessment Reform

India is promoting the vast hydropower potential of the Himalayan region, and the northern states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are encouraging small, medium and major hydro projects. Our research examined the approval processes for small hydro in these states with a view to making recommendations for policy improvements. We describe local understandings of project impacts, review public participation in project approvals, and discuss extending the national environmental assessment law to small hydro. We used a retrospective case study of three hydro projects, semi-structured qualitative interviews, a review of policy and project-specific case documents, and field observations. We found that residents of affected communities held similar views respecting the positive and negative impacts these projects might have, whether the impacts occurred or not. We canvassed predicted impacts such as job creation, increased access to electricity, improved local infrastructure, loss of cultural assets, and removal of trees. Further, the case study revealed opportunities for earlier, more decentralized, and more active participation in small hydro approval processes. We conclude that the legal exemption for small hydro has left an important gap in India’s environmental assessment regime. Improved project-level assessments, catchment-based cumulative effects assessments, and better local involvement are needed for small hydro development.

Catch-and-release angling as a management tool for freshwater fish conservation in India

Mahseer are popularly regarded by anglers as the king of freshwater fishes, and are valued across the Himalayan and South-east Asian regions. In India, mahseer are important game fish. Mahseer populations and their habitats face a range of anthropogenic threats, however, including unregulated fishing and habitat fragmentation as a result of hydro-development projects. Catch-and-release angling for mahseer attracts both national and international anglers and could provide information about rivers while generating revenue for regional economies. In this context, we evaluated catch-and-release angling records from rivers that flow within two Indian reserves (the Ramganga and Jia Bharali Rivers in Corbett and Nameri Tiger Reserves, respectively). Golden mahseer Tor putitora in the Ramganga and golden and chocolate mahseer Neolissochilus hexagonolepis in the Jia Bharali were the most frequently caught fish species. Catch data suggested these game fish populations are probably not negatively affected by angling activities. Interviews with stakeholders highlighted support for catch-and-release angling, mainly because of its perceived economic benefits. The data obtained in this research could potentially assist with both fish conservation and the protection of associated aquatic ecosystems.

Mengembangkan Potensi Energi Terbarukan Di Jaringan Irigasi Dengan Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Mikro Hidro (Pltmh)

Power Generation Potential Micro Hydro Mini & Micto Hydro (PLTM & PLTMH) in Indonesia reached 0.45 GWatt, has been developed for 0084 GWatt (18%). One potential PLTM & PLTMH is irrigation networks, both new irrigation networks and existing irrigation networks. Wide of †rice fields in Indonesia are 6134 million ha, consisting of 19,344 technical irrigation network mainly scattered in the island of Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Bali and West Nusa Tenggara Province. Year 2005 has been successfully built the capacity of 100 kW PLTMH Melong exploit irrigation networks were involved networks fall building in Curug Agung in Subang district. PLTMH produced 700,800 KWh of energy per year, medium voltage network interconnected with PLN. In April 2008 this power of Micro Hydro Power (PLTMH) with a capacity of 100 kW operating in Campus University Muhammadiyah of Malang (UMM) and this is collaboration result of UMM with the National Research and Development ( Balitbang) Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia. UMM PLTMH Development is to promote the use of renewable energy sources as part of efforts to overcome the energy crisis as well as efforts to decrease greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. One type of renewable energy sources are small -scale water or micro- hydro. Development of PLTM & PLTMH in irrigation networks can be done in the main building, building falls, and buildings structures to complement that have a high hydraulic fall. The study on an irrigation network D.I. in Kedungkandang Malang shows that the potential power in buildings comes up in irrigation on the main channel reaches about 1 MWatt.Key words: power, micro hydro, irrigation channels