IWRM Discourses, Institutional Holy Grail and Water Justice in Nepal

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) still stands today as one of the most influential governance models in the water sector. Whereas previous analyses of IWRM have focused on the effectiveness of the institutional models it embodies and on policy implementation gaps, we examine the meanings...

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Autores principales: Clement, Floriane, Suhardiman, Diana, Bharati, Luna
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: 2017
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/91319
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author Clement, Floriane
Suhardiman, Diana
Bharati, Luna
author_browse Bharati, Luna
Clement, Floriane
Suhardiman, Diana
author_facet Clement, Floriane
Suhardiman, Diana
Bharati, Luna
author_sort Clement, Floriane
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) still stands today as one of the most influential governance models in the water sector. Whereas previous analyses of IWRM have focused on the effectiveness of the institutional models it embodies and on policy implementation gaps, we examine the meanings that IWRM discourses have given to water management issues and how these meanings have in turn supported certain policy choices, institutions and practices. We use discourse analysis to study IWRM discourses in Nepal, where IWRM was introduced as the guiding policy principle for water management more than a decade ago, but not yet operationalised. We argue that IWRM discourses have operated a discursive closure in policy debates, thereby limiting the range of policy and institutional choices perceived as politically possible. In particular, we found that the promotion of IWRM as an institutional holy grail has obscured critical issues of social (in) justice related to water resources development by promoting an apolitical and techno-managerial vision of water development, largely centralised and relying on expert knowledge. We defend the need to move away from institutional panaceas and towards deliberative processes that allow alternative voices, discourses and knowledge.
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spelling CGSpace913192025-03-11T09:50:20Z IWRM Discourses, Institutional Holy Grail and Water Justice in Nepal Clement, Floriane Suhardiman, Diana Bharati, Luna integrated management water resources development water management water law water governance water policy flow rate institutions river basin planning economic growth Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) still stands today as one of the most influential governance models in the water sector. Whereas previous analyses of IWRM have focused on the effectiveness of the institutional models it embodies and on policy implementation gaps, we examine the meanings that IWRM discourses have given to water management issues and how these meanings have in turn supported certain policy choices, institutions and practices. We use discourse analysis to study IWRM discourses in Nepal, where IWRM was introduced as the guiding policy principle for water management more than a decade ago, but not yet operationalised. We argue that IWRM discourses have operated a discursive closure in policy debates, thereby limiting the range of policy and institutional choices perceived as politically possible. In particular, we found that the promotion of IWRM as an institutional holy grail has obscured critical issues of social (in) justice related to water resources development by promoting an apolitical and techno-managerial vision of water development, largely centralised and relying on expert knowledge. We defend the need to move away from institutional panaceas and towards deliberative processes that allow alternative voices, discourses and knowledge. 2017 2018-03-07T10:16:35Z 2018-03-07T10:16:35Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/91319 en Open Access Clement, Floriane; Suhardiman, Diana; Bharati, Luna. 2017. IWRM Discourses, Institutional Holy Grail and Water Justice in Nepal. Water Alternatives. 10(3):870-887.. http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol10/v10issue3/386-a10-3-12/file.
spellingShingle integrated management
water resources development
water management
water law
water governance
water policy
flow rate
institutions
river basin
planning
economic growth
Clement, Floriane
Suhardiman, Diana
Bharati, Luna
IWRM Discourses, Institutional Holy Grail and Water Justice in Nepal
title IWRM Discourses, Institutional Holy Grail and Water Justice in Nepal
title_full IWRM Discourses, Institutional Holy Grail and Water Justice in Nepal
title_fullStr IWRM Discourses, Institutional Holy Grail and Water Justice in Nepal
title_full_unstemmed IWRM Discourses, Institutional Holy Grail and Water Justice in Nepal
title_short IWRM Discourses, Institutional Holy Grail and Water Justice in Nepal
title_sort iwrm discourses institutional holy grail and water justice in nepal
topic integrated management
water resources development
water management
water law
water governance
water policy
flow rate
institutions
river basin
planning
economic growth
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/91319
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