1244 | 641 | Rural – urban water struggle: Contestations for urban water security in Nepal Himalaya | Kamal Devkota
While growing urbanization is a global phenomenon, it is more rapid in Global South. Municipal authorities in this region are facing challenges to manage water for growing urban population. The problem is further exacerbated as the upstream rural villages are reluctant to continue providing water to the downstream urban centers which has created the contestations between them. This paper attempts to understand the growing contestations between rural and urban communities over water access in lower Himalayan region. By documenting the struggles of two towns in Nepal, I examine the nature and dynamics of contestations and explore what do they mean for urban water security in the emerging towns. The paper draws my own engagement on urban water management issues in Nepal. I draw materials from my works on understanding urban water management initiatives and struggles towards securing water sources. The earlier works included series of qualitative field works and stakeholder dialogues. I substantiate my analysis drawing on fresh fieldworks focusing on the upstream-downstream contestations. The preliminary findings show that, municipal authorities are struggling to secure sources of water for meeting the growing demand of water and encounter contestations with upstream communities. I identified three major forms of contestations-contestations due to increasing demand of water in both rural and urban areas, resistance of rural communities based on politico-administrative boundaries as many upstream areas fall in different administrative jurisdictions and denial for water access claiming the preferential rights to use water based on traditional rights. Based on this analysis, I propose a framework constituting these three aspects which are important to understand growing rural-urban contestations for urban water security. I argue that understanding these aspects will be prudent for municipal authorities towards fostering cooperation and achieving urban water security.
Kamal Devkota
University of Leuven (KU Leuven)
ID Abstract: 641