Feature: New borderlands of water governance must transcend traditional boundaries
News
Posted on Tuesday 25 May 2021
We need to rethink the old boundaries of water governance. Traditional units of governance in water management are spatial or biogeographical, watersheds, basins or catchments. Watersheds transcend political, cultural and national boundaries, but their governance is stuck in administrative settings that reflect small-scale national priorities. Those affected directly by water decision-making are left out, along with their environmental concerns.
Recognizing that water governance should involve the people affected by the decisions, these administrative boundaries bring challenges in managing a watershed as a unit when waterways cross boundaries. Political or strategic goals may differ for each region or country, such as providing for local agricultural livelihoods versus providing energy for urban areas far away, and when a single watershed occupies different spheres of influence, power relations shift.
In the Water Beyond Boundaries Initiative, SEI is tackling these boundary issues in water governance and the challenges that they pose to decision-making.