François Molle

Why Enough Is Never Enough: The Societal Determinants of River Basin Closure

Manifestations of water scarcity are increasingly frequent, even in regions with temperate climates and endowed with good water resources. This paper argues that several ‘bad good reasons’ and mechanisms are at work to generate ‘overbuilt basins’, whereby the development of infrastructural resources invariably tends to outstrip available resources. Eight main drivers of basin overbuilding are proposed and discussed. Despite its crucial importance and ubiquity, this phenomenon is often overlooked. Unpacking the reasons why ‘enough is never enough’, i.e. why water resources become over-committed and river basins overbuilt, is critical if these mechanisms are to be countered.

Megaprojects and Social and Environmental Changes: The Case of the Thai “Water Grid”

Abstract Large-scale development of irrigation has long been an attractive option of postwar development, and the Mekong region has been no exception. Thailand has developed approximately four million hectares of irrigated land, and its northeastern region (Isaan)—both the driest and poorest part of the country—has been the target of many water projects. However, “full development” of its potential has been constrained by the lack of storage sites and the difficulty of diverting water from the Mekong River. Several ambitious projects have been discussed during the last 50 y, all of which have been aimed at “greening Isaan.” In 2003, the Thai administration launched the idea of a national “water grid” that would triple the area of irrigated land in the country. This paper analyzes the emergence of this megaproject, its governance, and its economic and environmental soundness.

Water, politics and river basin governance: repoliticizing approaches to river basin management

Water management is commonly assumed to be a mere technical matter where experts and managers endeavour to match supply and demand by using technology, through rational problem-solving and by engaging stakeholders. This article, in contrast, emphasizes that river basin development and management is about the shifting patterns of access to a contested and scarce resource and is inherently a political process. An investigation of the physical and social characteristics and constraints of river basins must be conducted in parallel with an analysis of the convergent interests manifest in capital intensive water investments, and an attention to how discursive power is used in the justification of large-scale investments. Thus, repoliticizing river basin management offers a different and complementary perspective that allows a better understanding of society/environment relationships.

River basin trajectories: societies, environments and development

Using a variety of case studies, this book provides an overview of how societies have gradually developed their water resources and furthers our understanding of how such resources can be managed successfully or unsuccessfully. Discussing how and why particular options are selected, and why a particular course of events eventually prevails, the book stresses the importance of context and a multidisciplinary approach in moving towards sustainable and equitable development.

Dealing with Closed Basins: The Case of the Lower Jordan River Basin

During the past 50 years, the Lower Jordan River basin experienced a rapid and comprehensive process of development of its rare water resources. This led to its progressive closure; almost no water is left that can be mobilized and used while demand, notably in urban areas, keeps increasing. Despite the need to consider demand management options to alleviate the Jordanian water crisis, the potential of these options appears limited in the mid-term; the growing demand of the population and the sustaining of agriculture are unlikely to be met without supply augmentation measures which will reopen the basin.

Scalar Disconnect: The Logic of Transboundary Water Governance in the Mekong

This article provides an institutional analysis of the Mekong River Commission and brings to light the institutional dissonances between regional and national decision-making landscapes in the Lower Mekong Basin. The current scalar disconnect between regional and national decision-making processes reflects how international donors and member country representatives obscure potential conflict/tension in transboundary water governance in the Mekong. From a scholarly perspective, it questions academic approaches that assume that the state is the sole or primary actor in international relations.

Water pricing in irrigation: the lifetime of an idea

Providing irrigation always entails a measure of human labour and capital investment. In traditional small-scale systems investments were made by the communities themselves and the initial commitment generally defined rights to access water (Coward 1980). Such undertakings were often limited (e.g. tapping a spring or a run-of-the-river diversion using a few stones or logs laid across a small stream) but could also be quite costly (as in the case of qanats, underground drainage galleries commonly dug over several kilometres). Larger-scale ventures were financed directly by rulers (e.g., river diversions in Mesopotamia or large tanks in South Asia) who derived economic surpluses from the increased production.

Water availability and its use in agriculture

Water scarcity is a reality in the world today, and is a major threat to our food production systems that have to provide enough food for a growing and wealthier population. Managing water for agriculture is a major part of the solution for scarcity. This chapter provides information on water availability and its use in agriculture now and in the future. Detail is provided on rainfed, irrigated, fish and livestock systems, the governance of water in river basins, and environmental and health implications.

Squeezed dry : the historical trajectory of the lower Jordan river basin

In Molle, Francois.; Wester, P. (Eds.). River basin trajectories: societies, environments and development. Wallingford, UK: CABI; Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI).Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture Series 8

Reconfiguration and closure of river basins in south India: trajectory of the lower Krishna basin

Agricultural and water development in the Krishna basin in south India has led to a progressive over-commitment of water resources. Based on a historical water accounting (1955–2004), this paper shows that upstream water development is the main cause for declining water availability in the lower Krishna basin (Andhra Pradesh state). But Andhra Pradeshs own policies of water resources development are also key in understanding the process of over-commitment observed in the region. To slow down basin closure (little or no discharge to the ocean), there is a need for formal and adaptive water allocation mechanisms that can internalize social and environmental objectives.