Participation In Water Governance Research Articles

Groundwater governance and a snapshot of associated issues in selected coastal communities in Ghana

Groundwater is an important freshwater resource worldwide, particularly in coastal communities where it is scarce and often ignored. In Ghana, there is increasing dependence on groundwater, yet assessment of groundwater governance is rare. This study assessed the status of groundwater governance and identified existing gaps in Ghana. Groundwater-associated issues in four coastal communities (Essiama, Winneba, Korle Lagoon catchment area of Accra, and Keta) were assessed. Review of policy documents and expert-based assessment were employed to assess groundwater governance status and gaps while field observations, focus group discussions with community leaders, risk-priority matrix, and Nemerow's pollution index were employed to obtain a snapshot of local conditions that impact groundwater at the community level. Review of policy documents and expert-based assessment of groundwater governance capacity revealed that technical capacity, cross-sector policy coordination, and operational capacity were incipient, while legal and institutional capacity was acceptable. Overall, groundwater governance capacity in Ghana was shown to be incipient. Major gaps identified were (i) inadequate enforcement of groundwater policies, (ii) poor monitoring, (iii) poor technical and operational capacity, (iv) low cooperation within the water sector and across other sectors, and (v) poor public participation in water governance. The study revealed groundwater as an important resource in the studied coastal communities, where accessing potable water comes with some difficulties. Knowledge of groundwater policies was low, while there was no groundwater monitoring network in the communities. Furthermore, poor microbiological and chemical status of groundwater was observed. These findings suggest a need to build capacity in groundwater governance and to ensure robust public education on groundwater governance in Ghana.

Gendered Participation in Water Governance: Implications for Successful Communitybased Water Management and Women Empowerment

This article sought to analyse the gender dimensions in communally managed water schemes in rural Uganda. Taking two rural villages as empirical referents, the study used multi-methods of data collection and a gender-based analysis to interrogate the challenges to equitable access and decision-making in rural-based water schemes. The analysis reveals that, despite the existing policy and legislative regime, access to water for women is severely constrained, and their level of decision-making in communally managed water schemes is remarkably low. The article holds that women’s participation is critical for the much-needed collective action towards community-based water governance, gender equity, and empowerment. Consequently, the barriers to sustainable water access and effective women’s participation can be addressed through significant investments in systematic water institutional reforms, targeted capacity-building initiatives, and plugging existing policy monitoring and implementation gaps at all levels. There is a need to address the policy reality gap regarding ownership of productive resources for women as a key strand towards addressing the equity challenges at different levels of water governance.

The rhetoric of community participation in urban South African water governance

The persistence of the water insecurity challenge has manifested in weak government financial systems, insufficient technical capacity, and ineffective water governance systems in the global arena. This paper is a contextual analysis of community participation in water governance in urban South Africa since 1994. Limited community participation in urban water governance results in persistent inequality in access to water and sanitation services. New strategies and effective mechanisms are needed to include communities in water governance and pricing.

Who Speaks for Water in Times of Crisis? A Case for Co-production of Engineering and Governance

Studying the relationship between water expertise and the state's governance is important as it helps to explain the mechanism by which a certain group of experts rise to power, speaking for water—its challenges, and opportunities. This is particularly of concern in the times of crisis when the society does not know where to turn, and who to trust. Some aspects of this relationship have been addressed in the literature through now-familiar notions such as hydraulic bureaucracy and the hydraulic mission, in which the prevailing role of water engineers in problem framing and communicating solutions has been brought into the spotlight. However, the reciprocal nature of this relationship, particularly in difficult times when the society is fraught with fear of an uncertain future, has remained heavily under-researched. To fill this gap, this paper suggests we can productively draw on the concepts of “co-production” and “epistemic community”. Using Iran's looming water crisis, the paper provides an example of how governance and water engineering co-produce one another through an ongoing process of mutual constitution. On one hand, engineering artifacts are integral part of state-making process; while on the other hand, water engineers become the gatekeepers of knowledge-making processes. This creates a hegemonic power for water engineers, their epistemic practices, and institutions of power. This research also illustrates how this co-production reinforces the epistemic injustice in water governance by marginalizing non-engineering communities most particularly indigenous knowledge-holders. This is, of course, a great concern as it can lead to depoliticization of the water crisis, monopolization of water science, and demonization of participation in water governance.

Explaining the sustained public participation of ENGOs in China’s water governance: A case study of the ‘civilian river chiefs’ under the theoretical framework of ‘double embeddedness’

ABSTRACT Although essential to successful environmental governance, public participation has been sporadic and fragmented in China. Drawing on in-depth interviews conducted in the southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou, this paper explores how environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) have carried out ‘civilian river chiefs’ projects as novel approaches to water governance. We propose a framework of ‘double embeddedness’, within which ENGOs have built political and social legitimacy, reciprocity, and networks that enable their sustained participation in water governance. Our findings suggest that new patterns of state–community–non-governmental organization relationships are key to understanding public participation in China’s future environmental governance.

Governance and Civic Capacity for the Provision of Drinking Water in Urban Sindh, Pakistan

The purpose of this study is to analyse governance and civic capacity for service delivery in the drinking water sector in urban Sindh, Pakistan. The research was designed to systematically analyse the patterns of success and failure of drinking water initiatives in Hyderabad and Sukkur using qualitative methodology with Focus Group Discussion and interviews to understand the roles of collective action, partnerships, local experiences and cooperation alongside governmental and regulatory oversight related to drinking water. It highlights incentives for different actors involved in infrastructure development and maintenance, pricing and regulation. Case studies of collective action in the drinking water sector across Sindh have also been discussed. The main findings of the study are that piped drinking water quality remains poor in emerging cities like Hyderabad and Sukkur and citizen participation in water governance is very limited due to the obstructionist attitudes of local water management bureaucracy. Participatory approaches in governance can be used to harness action from the community in designing, planning and overseeing water service delivery. When used effectively, such models can help inform policymakers, improve knowledge about existing infrastructure, enhance access to information and reduce corruption. 

Local participation in decentralized water governance: insights from north-central Namibia

Although several semi-arid African countries are decentralizing water services and attempting to increase the participation of local actors in water resource management, how effectively this is working, and whether it is improving water access, is not yet well researched. Little attention has been paid to the capacities (in terms of knowledge and resources) that local actors need to successfully influence the operation and management of water services they are made responsible for. In a qualitative study, we asked regional and local actors in the Omusati Region of north-central Namibia for their perspectives on how water reforms, initiated in the late 1990s, have impacted on their participation in water governance. Our analysis reveals that decentralized governance of water resources can be ineffective if governments do not allocate sufficient resources to support and enable local actors to participate efficiently and effectively in the governance system. In the context of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, achieving greater equity and efficiency in the water sector while reducing climate risk will require that local actors receive more support in return for fuller and more effective participation. We suggest that policy and practice around decentralized water governance pay more attention to building the capacities of local actors to absorb the responsibilities transferred to them.

Differences in Risk Perception of Water Quality and Its Influencing Factors between Lay People and Factory Workers for Water Management in River Sosiani, Eldoret Municipality Kenya

This study evaluates the differences between risk predictors and risk perception regarding water pollution. Specifically, it focuses on the differences in risk perception between factory workers and lay people situated in textile industries near the River Sosiani in Eldoret, Kenya. The lay people are divided into two groups. The respondents living downstream are situated mostly in town centers and at the mid/lower parts of the river, and the respondents living upstream are mainly found at the upper parts of the River Sosiani. Data were obtained from 246 participants using questionnaires. Several factors influencing risk perception were selected to evaluate the degree of perceived risk amongst the groups. Descriptive statistics, mean score and correlation analyses, and multiple linear regression models were used to analyse the data. The one-way ANOVA results showed statistically different levels of risk perceptions amongst the groups. The partial and bivariate correlation analyses revealed the differences in scientific knowledge between respondents upstream and downstream. The multiple linear regression analysis showed that each group used different variables to determine risks in the region. In the factory group, 56.1% of the variance in risk perception is significantly predicted by sensorial factors, trust in the government’s capacity to manage water pollution and the impact of water pollution on human health. About 65.9% of the variance in risk perception of the downstream inhabitants is significantly predicted by sensorial factors, the possibility of industries generating water pollution, and previous experience with water pollution. For the respondents located upstream, age, sensorial factors, trust in the government and the possibility of being impacted by water pollution factors significantly predicted 37.05% of the variance in risk perception. These findings indicate that enhanced public participation in water governance amongst the residents of Eldoret town is needed, along with an understanding of the different characteristics of the respondents in the region during risk communication. This will boost awareness in the region and promote the adoption of better practices to minimise the adverse effects of water pollution faced by the region.

Breaching Barriers: The Fight for Indigenous Participation in Water Governance

Indigenous peoples worldwide face barriers to participation in water governance, which includes planning and permitting of infrastructure that may affect water in their territories. In the United States, the extent to which Indigenous voices are heard—let alone incorporated into decision-making—depends heavily on whether or not Native nations are recognized by the federal government. In the southeastern United States, non-federally recognized Indigenous peoples continue to occupy their homelands along rivers, floodplains, and wetlands. These peoples, and the Tribal governments that represent them, rarely enter environmental decision-making spaces as sovereign nations and experts in their own right. Nevertheless, plans to construct the Atlantic Coast Pipeline prompted non-federally recognized Tribes to demand treatment as Tribal nations during permitting. Actions by the Tribes, which are recognized by the state of North Carolina, expose barriers to participation in environmental governance faced by Indigenous peoples throughout the United States, and particularly daunting challenges faced by state-recognized Tribes. After reviewing the legal and political landscapes that Native nations in the United States must navigate, we present a case study focused on Atlantic Coast Pipeline planning and permitting. We deliberately center Native voices and perspectives, often overlooked in non-Indigenous narratives, to emphasize Indigenous actions and illuminate participatory barriers. Although the Atlantic Coast Pipeline was cancelled in 2020, the case study reveals four enduring barriers to Tribal participation: adherence to minimum standards, power asymmetries, procedural narrowing, and “color-blind” planning. We conclude by highlighting opportunities for federal and state governments, developers, and Indigenous peoples to breach these barriers.

Narratives and Memories for Resilience: Exploring the Missing Link between Engagement and Water Governance in Brazil and the United Kingdom


 
 
 From an interdisciplinary, communication and trans-cultural perspective, participation in water governance should include non-political activities and engagement. In Brazil, it is mandatory for decision-making bodies to include society’s active participation, a democratic principle that speaks to a concept of ‘hydro-citizenship’ that is currently being explored in the UK, wherein top-down water governance is giving way to community-led adaptation planning. The opportunities for social and cultural learning have been explored in our UK and Brazil collaborative research. We offer relevant insights about the value of story, narrative and memories as emerging components of resilience beyond collective, community or national political containers. We argue that a missing link in the literature is the one between narratives, social memory and environmental resilience as a personally shared culture water. These insights have the potential to address participation and governance gaps through recourse to a trans-cultural understanding of socially networked communication about water management.
 
 

Exploring the current status of water governance and outcomes of community-based monitoring across the Oak Ridges Moraine, Southern Ontario, Canada

ABSTRACTCommunity-based monitoring (CBM) activities are becoming increasingly prevalent in response to multiple factors, including reduced governmental capacity and increased public interest in environmental management. This research aims to explore how CBM has evolved in the Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM), southern Ontario, including an examination of strengths and challenges. Interviews with CBM stakeholders, provincial government staff, and conservation authority staff were combined with document analysis to explore the evolution and outcomes of ORM CBM activities. Results indicate that there is active CBM on the ORM and conservation authorities play a role in the shaping of CBM activities, although significant barriers remain to civil society participation in water governance. The case study results from the ORM were also considered in light of research emerging from the Nova Scotia experience of numerous civil society organisations involved in CBM.

Understanding emergent participation practices in water governance

ABSTRACTThis introductory article discusses the proliferation of different forms of participation in water governance. It is argued that creating public value through participation can only succeed when effective co-creation between public authorities and communities emerges. However, challenges to realizing co-creation are manifold, and differ among the various types of participation. In this respect, we introduce a typology of different forms of participation, based on the distinction between top-down (invited) and bottom-up (created) participation. We use this distinction to analyze different dynamics in participatory water governance and to delve deeper into the dilemmas and trade-offs. Lastly, the various contributions to this special issue are introduced.

Transforming participation in water governance: the multisectoral alliances of rural water committees and NGOs in Nicaragua

This paper examines new forms of political participation on the part of rural water committees in Nicaragua in the mid-2000s. In particular, it explores the role of multisectoral alliances in facilitating water committees’ (1) physical mobility and political visibility, (2) political and legal capacity-building, and (3) access to state channels of representation. Contributing to theories of social capital, this case reveals a transformation of participation in water governance from locally grounded collective action for water management to engagement in public policy processes. In practical terms, the paper casts lessons for improved water governance via more inclusive policy processes.

Women’s Crucial Role in Collective Operation and Maintenance of Drinking Water Infrastructure in Rural Uganda

ABSTRACTOperation and maintenance of communally owned water sources in Uganda still pose challenges despite the devolution of water management from the state to user communities. Using a mixed-methods approach and a gender-sensitive collective action analytical framework, this article quantifies the role of women in drinking-water governance and identifies barriers to women’s participation. The findings show that women not only are more willing to contribute but have also stated higher actual contribution than their male counterparts. The article outlines the institutional and individual attributes constraining women’s effective participation in water management and suggests how to enhance women’s participation in water governance. We argue that a strategy built on water users’ collective action in Uganda has to be built on women’s participation through effective rules and monitoring mechanisms, as well as on long-term sensitization and awareness creation on gender stereotypes that hitherto hinder women’s participation.

Innovative approach to build a “no regret” framework for reinforcing agricultural water resilience under climate risks and change in Burkina Faso

PurposeThis paper aims to propose, for the very first time in Burkina Faso, a “no regret” reference tool to improve policies and processes which could strengthen agricultural water resilience under climate risks and change for sustained food security. Such a framework consists of five pillars derived from the agricultural water vulnerability analysis.Design/methodology/approachThe method combined a new designed tool “ClimProspect”, adapted to the Sahelian climatic context, participatory and analogue approaches.FindingsInnovative “no regret” framework to overcome current and future climate risks on agricultural water requirements has been built.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper proposes a new way to assess vulnerability and build resilience for a given system and brings climate and disaster risks together. In fact, in the country, disaster and climate risks are closely associated.Practical implicationsThe proposed measures will reinforce water security under climate variability and change and disaster risks, boost the farmers’ participation in water governance and secure the adaptation investment for the long term.Social implicationsImplementing the proposed measures should provide farmers with agricultural water needs at any time over the year, having access to social protection and sustainably increase their food security.Originality/valueMethod used explicitly allows for paying attention, at the same time, to climate variability and change, disaster risks and social issues. The “no regret” framework is a practical secured tool for policy makers and planners, and it gives them a new way to secure sustainable water requirements.

Regional Water Institutions and Participation in Water Governance: The Colorado River Delta as an Exception to the Rule?

Regional Water Institutions and Participation in Water Governance: The Colorado River Delta as an Exception to the Rule?

Building Blocks for Users’ Participation in Water Governance: Irrigators’ Organizations and State Reforms in Ecuador

Participation of water users in Ecuadorian water governance has increased in the last two decades through decentralization, irrigation management transfer policies and efforts of non-governmental organizations and civil society to consolidate water user based multi-levelled organizations. This has resulted in an increased involvement of users in water management decisions at irrigation system, provincial and national levels. This article presents the development of these organizations in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and shows how these have formed and important political actor in the left wing government of Rafael Correa since 2007. It shows that a) for the development of water users’ participation in water governance, multi-level user based organiza- tions, that represent the interests of the water users, are needed; and b) that participation in water governance takes place through both formal institutional spaces and more importantly, through informal networking, popular protests, lobbying and negotiations is a contested process in which power differentials are disputed and negotiated

‘If No Gasoline, No Water’: Privatizing Drinking Water Quality in South Texas Colonias

Our study investigates why low-income Mexican-American residents living in rural and periurban subdivisions ( colonias) in South Texas, one of the poorest regions in the United States, are increasingly dependent upon water vending machines as the main source of drinking water despite continued water infrastructure development. We outline a relational framework that builds on current debates within nature–society scholarship to address this paradox. We demonstrate how institutional enclosure—the creation or repurposing of institutions that curtails public participation in water governance—paired with water quality discourses and daily practices, operate over time to enroll residents as neoliberal subjects. We focus our attention on the emergence of the ‘water consumer’, or the individual who purchases drinking water from the vending machine. This approach addresses the coproduction of political subjectivities in relation to institutional change and how subjectivity reconstitutes a new hydrosocial relationship mediated by the water vending machine. We argue for a relational approach that attends to the production of political subjectivities as central to, not as a result of, the neoliberalization of nature.

Democratizing Water Governance from the Grassroots: The Development of Interjuntas-Chimborazo in the Ecuadorian Andes

Making water management more democratic through the participation of water users, while crucially including the poor, has often proven elusive in practice. Through an in-depth case study, this article analyzes how the provincial water users federation Interjuntas-Chimborazo was consolidated in the Ecuadorian Andes. The case illustrates the critical role external actors can play in the consolidation of federative organizations through methodological design, facilitation, and financial and logistical support to local societal actors. In turn, such federations can effectively promote social democracy. As a new societal actor, the federation Interjuntas-Chimborazo now struggles for voice, representation, and inclusion of the marginalized water users. They participate in formal state-dominated institutional arrangements of stakeholder participation. Yet, more importantly, they also push their claims by tilting established power relations through other means such as protests, mobilizations, lobbying, and negotiations. The development of this federation brings to the fore important lessons on federative organizations, the role of external actors, and participation in water governance.

Working Together: Collective Action, the Commons, and Multiple Methods in Practice, Game Theory and Policymaking in Natural Resources and the Environment and Social Participation in Water Governance and Management: Critical and Global Perspectives

Working Together: Collective Action, the Commons, and Multiple Methods in Practice, Game Theory and Policymaking in Natural Resources and the Environment and Social Participation in Water Governance and Management: Critical and Global Perspectives