The reproduction of hydrosocial dominations: water user association membership in the eastern Tarai
This article sets out to contribute to the debate on the criteria for selecting members of water user associations (WUAs) for large irrigation systems in the Nepalese Tarai. From a socio-historical approach, I explore irrigation policies through the prism of intertwined scientific paradigms and soci...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Paris
2023-01-01
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| Series: | European Bulletin of Himalayan Research |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/1259 |
| Summary: | This article sets out to contribute to the debate on the criteria for selecting members of water user associations (WUAs) for large irrigation systems in the Nepalese Tarai. From a socio-historical approach, I explore irrigation policies through the prism of intertwined scientific paradigms and social power relations specific to the Nepalese context. I show how WUA membership has been dissociated from water use and linked to land tenure. An explanation of this historical process highlights the socio-economic consequences on rural communities dependent on surface irrigation and provides a critique of the WUA model, while suggesting a way of reorienting this participatory model towards further inclusion. |
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| ISSN: | 2823-6114 |