Water Security and Climate Change: A Periurban Perspective

Abstract

While most research on climate change and water security focuses on purely agrarian or urban contexts, periurban contexts need special attention in terms of research and capacity-building. This is because they suffer from the effects of both rural and urban stressors, that are aggravated by the effects of climate change. Further, they are rapidly growing in geographical spread and importance and sustain an urban metabolism in the context of growing cities of the global south. Providing platforms for dialogue between the state and water users, and building human capital to promote occupational diversification can build the coping capacity of periurban communities and reduce their vulnerability to water insecurity caused by the combined effects of urbanization and climate change. This paper examines the impacts of urbanization and climate change on the water security of periurban populations in Gurgaon, North-West India and their adaptive responses. Efforts to enhance their adaptive capacity by promoting platforms for stakeholder dialogue with the state agencies and supporting occupational diversification are described. The methodology, leaning on an interpretive and social constructivist paradigm, comprises ethnographic tools, semi-structured interviews and key informant interviews (KIIs). Research for this paper was carried out between the periods 2009 to 2015 and shows that the population of periurban Gurgaon lost private and common property land and water resources to support the expansion of the city. There is growing pressure on the water table from the expanding city. The effects of these trends have been aggravated by a change in the seasonal distribution of rainfall and the duration of seasons, rising temperatures and disappearance of the monsoon season. Periurban communities have responded by switching to sprinkler irrigation sets, changes in cropping choices and increased reliance on wastewater. The paper concludes by developing a typology of urbanization and climate change induced periurban water insecurity and by making a case for increased research and policy attention to periurban areas that suffer the combined effects of urbanization and climate change on their water sources.