Ganesh B. Keremane

Using Photostory to Capture Irrigators Emotions About Water Policy and Sustainable Development Objectives: A Case Study in Rural Australia

Participatory research approaches have gained popularity within the natural resource management domain, particularly irrigation management since 1980s. Some of these methods allow the examination of values and emotions with regard to the management of natural resources and hence can supplement other ways of eliciting community responses to policy change. This article discusses the methodology and findings of an image-based participatory research project called PhotoStory. The project was conducted with members of stressed and conflicted irrigation communities in rural Australia. Participants were provided with cameras to record their views about different issues related to sustainable water management and conflicts and were also able to record their emotions and values on these topics. Findings of this project – PhotoStory – give a two-dimensional narration (visual and written) about complex issues related to water policy such as the creation of regional water allocation plans. This method answers how plans and a widespread drought have been experienced and interpreted by people living in two communities. The article concludes with some pros and cons of using this technique with an irrigation community and reflects on the use made of the work by the community and policy-makers.

The Decline of Innovative Local Self-Governance Institutions for Water Management: The Case of Pani Panchayats

Water scarcity to a large extent is manmade and large irrigation projects are seen as a solution to the problems of water scarcity. But the solution to the problems that such scarcity generates lies in recognizing the fact that water is a common resource and can be managed sustainably, based on the principles of local and collective self-management. India has a rich history of indigenous systems of water management, some of which are still in use even after thousands of years. Pani Panchayats in Maharashtra are examples of such indigenous self-governance institutions formed for ecological and equitable use of water on the basis of collective control and decision making. But, today, these innovative institutions have collapsed due to various reasons. A study funded by the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) was carried out to identify the reasons for the decline of Pani Panchayats from a farmers perspective. The results revealed that lack of effective institutional protocol to enforce the rules to govern water use, resolving the conflicts, accompanied by lack of support from the government and other agencies are the major reasons for the decline.

Management of recycled water for sustainable production and environmental protection: a case study with Northern Adelaide Plains recycling scheme.

176 Abstract— In South Australia, 95,000 megalitres (ML) of municipal wastewater is collected and treated in metropolitan Adelaide. Approximately 50 % of this volume is treated at the Bolivar wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to produce a high quality wastewater suitable for irrigation without health related restriction to vegetable and salad crops. Following treatment wastewater is piped to horticultural growers on the Northern Adelaide Plains through Virginia Pipeline Scheme (VPS). The establishment of the VPS is not only effective in reducing the amount of wastewater entering the Gulf St Vincent but also facilitates the recycling of otherwise waste water for irrigation purposes. The VPS is the largest recycled water scheme in Australia serving around 250 horticultural growers. This paper provides an overview of the scheme focusing on the level of wastewater treatment at Bolivar WWTP, the value of the treated water as a source of irrigation water, carbon and nutrients for crop growth, and the socio-economic and environmental implications of its use for irrigation.

Sustainable urban water management through the lens of community – a photostory exercise in metropolitan Adelaide

ABSTRACT This article reports the process and results of a study in which community was engaged to examine emotional resonance around the concept of urban water. The study was an important component of a legal and governance study, which aimed to identify the governance challenges and potential solutions to support the implementation of an integrated urban water management strategy in metropolitan Adelaide. The team used photostory method for this purpose, which included participants taking photos and interpreting their meanings through a process of reflection. The dialogue around the photos, the diaries, and the group discussions demonstrates how this method can provide a greater depth of understanding of how water saving and sustainable water management are rationalised and how they become shared experiences. The article concludes by discussing some of the limitations of the method and providing suggestions for using this method to engage a community in research.

Study Design and Methods

This study evaluated water laws, policies, and institutions related to urban wastewater reuse in South Australia, which is largely formal, innovative, and involves some form of bureaucratic entrepreneurship. The study also included a study in India, typified by its informal and unregulated use of wastewater for irrigation, thereby allowing comparison of formal (regulated) and informal (unregulated) use of urban wastewater for agricultural irrigation.

Informal and Uncontrolled Use of Wastewater for Agriculture

The third case study is in India, where wastewater use for irrigation is unregulated and indirect, similar to the practices in many other developing countries. Wastewater reuse is not new to India, because there has been a history of untreated or partially treated wastewater use there for a long time. Today, as a result of rapid population growth, massive industrialization, and the growing number of cities, indirect use of wastewater has increased even further as large amounts of sewage are discharged into the rivers.

Public–Private Partnership Model for Wastewater Management

The first case studied is the Virginia pipeline scheme operating in the Northern Adelaide plains, South Australia. The scheme is the result of effectively designed partnerships and collective community efforts. In addition, effective regulatory and policy measures related to wastewater management in Australia, particularly South Australia have also been instrumental.

Private Sector Participation in Wastewater Management

The Willunga pipeline scheme is the second reclaimed water scheme in Australia selected for the study. It is built by a joint venture company formed by grape growers and wine makers, which also owns and operates the scheme. Since inception, the scheme has been successfully supplying Class ‘B’ reclaimed water for growing grapes in the McLaren Vale region. The Willunga pipeline is a triple-bottom-line role model: it does not draw on public funds, it delivers high value to the community, and it reduces nutrient discharge to the ocean while replacing water consumption from aquifers and the river Murray. The scheme is an excellent example of how private sector participation backed up by favourable regulatory regime may well lead to solving water resource problems.

Lessons Learned and Way Forward

Over the past century unprecedented developments like growing population, urbanisation and industrialisation have resulted in shrinking freshwater supplies. The current signs indicate that the situation on the ground is getting worse, and not better. Thus, the water managers, planners and policy makers around the world face the challenge of finding new sources of supply to address perceived new demands. The challenge is more acute because the options for increasing the supplies have become expensive and are often environmentally damaging.

Water Governance and Wastewater Reuse in Australia and India

Organising the water sector is largely influenced by a country’s overall standard of governance, its customs, politics and conditions (Rogers and Hall in Effective water governance, Global Water Partnership-TEC, Sweden, 2003; UNESCO in Water-a shared responsibility, France and Berghahn Books, USA, 2006) resulting in variations in the ways the water sector is organised around the world. For many years, ‘governance’ was discussed and debated extensively in the context of society and development as a whole.