Abstract
River basins are geographical units in which all streams drain to a common terminus, but as a political boundary it is also the result of a choice and social construction. The concept has, from the nineteenth century onward, chiefly been mobilized for justifying and rationalizing the large‐scale development of water resources by powerful water bureaucracies imbued with their “hydraulic mission.” Excessive development resulting in basin closure and social and environmental externalities must be understood as a political phenomenon. The relevance of looking at water‐related problems through the lens of the water basin has been debated and the complexity of multilevel governance unearthed, not least at the transboundary level. Whether river basin organizations are needed or desirable, and what their prerogatives should be, are also under question.
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