Water Conflicts and Resistance

Venkatesh Dutta is Professor at School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, India, and a natural resource management specialist.

• 1. Shared Water: Contest, Conflicts and Cooperation PART I: Transboundary Conflicts 2. Negotiated Resolution of Transboundary Disputes: A Function of Facts, Frames and Fairness 3. From Lukewarm to Meaningful: Understanding and Transforming Transboundary Water Cooperation in the Indian Subcontinent 4. ‘Shared’ Waterscapes: The Case of River Ravi in Indian and Pakistan Punjab 5. Transcending Boundaries for Sustainability in the Koshi Basin: Contestations and Cooperation 6. Environmental Justice for the Victims of the Koshi River Project: The Context and Elements of Transboundary Legal Response 7. Benefits and Burden: A Case Study of Gandak River Agreement PART II: Regional and Local Conflicts 8. Peri-urbanisation and Changing Water Flows: Competition, Conflicts and Cooperation 9. Disaster-Induced Water Conflicts and Gender: A Study of Floods in South Asia 10. Examining Inter-linkages between Water Scarcity and Human Security: A Case Study of Bundelkhand Region of Uttar Pradesh, India 11. Urban Rivers and Their Riverfronts: When Restoration Becomes Real Estate Projects 12. Conflict and Resistance over Water Reallocation: The Case of Surya Irrigation Project in Maharashtra

‘Conflicts in use of water from a river basin are typically considered a technical matter. In fact, though, argue the authors in this book, the real problem is political. Water-sharing arrangements lead to a continuous tussle by each party to maximise their share of the water. That leads to a great deal of water wastage and environmental damage. In this important book, the brilliant young scholar Venkatesh Dutta has brought together expert scholars, members of civil society, and lawyers, many of whom have participated in negotiating treaties to share water resources. The book is essential reading for not only specialists and students in water management but also for those studying the political economy of environmental protection.’Ashoka Mody, Charles and Marie Robertson Visiting Professor of International Economic Policy, School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, USA