What is water security? (cont.)

Yet, here lies the inherent problem. It is very difficult and indeed very expensive to survey, examine and precisely measure every individual factor affecting water availability – perhaps impossible. Budget constrained policy makers would often prefer to implement cheaper, ‘quick fix’, large scale projects to make a radical difference and appear visibly tenacious. As a result, much of historic World Bank water security policy has supported large damming projects across the African continent. The idea being that the increased capacity for water storage correlates nicely with GDP (Pearce, 2016). However, much of the conviction around these projects tended to involve ‘security through certainty’ (Zeitoun et al, 2016:144). These approaches attempt to quantify the inherently qualitative determinants of water security to produce a clear numerical logic for success. Often supported with MARR dependant WSI figures, these projects often reduce situational complexity by making simplifying assumptions about national economy, hydro-climatology and society. Zeitoun et al. have therefore characterised this form of approach as ‘reductionist’. Much of the controversial damming through the River Senegal basin is a testament to these parochial policies. In response, they call for a more ‘integrative’ approach to water management. An approach more context specific that goes ‘beyond the river’ in order to better adapt to dynamic hydro-climatological and social conditions (Zeitoun et al. 2016:148). They even go as far to suggest that the term ‘water security’ should be attuned to social justice.

To conclude, I believe that it is fair to say the UN definition of water security is a good one or indeed the best possible. It is plain that water security is a concept somewhat fluid and without clear quantity. Though, this is merely a reflection of the context specific manner in which it should be understood. Water security is contingent to place and time. It is therefore unhelpful to make averaged out, reductionist assumptions for a one-size fits all numerical classification. This is perhaps a realisation shared by development policy more generally. In her 2003 paper, Robinson calls for the need to reassert ‘development studies’ as ‘area studies’ in order to break the generalised, reductionist approach common across much of the discipline. Every place and every person is different - so then will be their path of development, water based or otherwise. Therefore, approaches should reflect the nuanced differences in place brought about from the unique set of socio-economic, political and cultural forces at play. This integration allows for a more helpful contribution to development aims.

Yet, whilst it is easy to sit here and claim foul; it must be recognised that calling for smaller scale more inclusive projects is still problematic. An integrated approach will more than likely be a more expensive and indeed a more time-consuming one. It will also require effective diplomacy and willingness for cooperation in situations of unavoidable compromise. Despite this, it represents perhaps the best chance of long-term success and in this case, long-term water security.

The Manantali Dam on the Bafing River, Mali part of the Senegal River drainage basin. It is estimated that the dams in this region have eliminated up to 90% of the rivers fisheries and ended seasonal flood farming and animal grazing on some 250,000 hectares of land (Acreman, 1996:433). Source feuerwehr worb.

In my next post, I will look more closely at the importance of sanitation and how it relates to the ideas of water security discussed thus far.