Overview

"Droughts and Integrated Water Resource Management in South Asia, highlights that while available water supplies can be quantified, it is not so with droughts. Droughts are variously experienced, politically inspired, socially constituted and arise essentially from the monopoly of available water. Countering technocratic and naturalistic treatments of droughts by mainstream professionals, the contributors argue that the focus of redressal has to be on the political struggle for equitable sharing rather than the creation of large reservoirs that may again be monopolized by vested interests to generate continuous 'droughts'. The volume attempts to "" Understand the concept of drought; "" Map the diversity in drought situations across South Asia; "" Identify responses to drought; "" Outline viable options for more integrated approaches to drought policies and mitigation strategies; and "" Initiate a process of dialogue on emerging drought issues. Integrated water resources management acquires special meaning in the South Asian context, where resolution of some of the most pressing water problems requires regional cooperation. The central concern is the livelihood perspective of drought, the political economy of drought relief and dominance of supply-side approaches. This book aims to sensitize policy makers and practitioners to the need for initiating institutional changes for drought management in their respective countries."

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9788178298597

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Reviews

The book discusses the drought and integrated water management in South Asia in comparatively macro perspective...It has a value addition to the literature as it covers different regions and levels of droughts. -- Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics The book is collection of articles on drought and drought management in South Asia by some renowned researchers and civil society workers engaged in the area of water resource management... Topics are discussed in a thorough and insightful manner... The major contribution of this book is that it synthesizes and reflects on what could be called the new conventional wisdom' on drought. -- The Book Review The book is an important contribution to current discourses on water scarcity and the associated human dimensions in South Asia, evolution of governmental response over the last almost 150 years, the continuing issues concerning equity, skewed access to development resources/plans and the lack of gender equality. In addition, some contributions also focus on the way forward, with sound conceptual and practical approaches. -- Current Science Usefully divided into three major sections-themes, country overviews and case studies-this collection initiates a process of dialogue on a more comprehensive public policy for drought management. We all know it is much needed. -- Civil Society

The book discusses the drought and integrated water management in South Asia in comparatively macro perspective...It has a value addition to the literature as it covers different regions and levels of droughts. -- Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics The book is collection of articles on drought and drought management in South Asia by some renowned researchers and civil society workers engaged in the area of water resource management... Topics are discussed in a thorough and insightful manner... The major contribution of this book is that it synthesizes and reflects on what could be called the new conventional wisdom' on drought. -- The Book Review The book is an important contribution to current discourses on water scarcity and the associated human dimensions in South Asia, evolution of governmental response over the last almost 150 years, the continuing issues concerning equity, skewed access to development resources/plans and the lack of gender equality. In addition, some contributions also focus on the way forward, with sound conceptual and practical approaches. -- Current Science Usefully divided into three major sections--themes, country overviews and case studies-this collection initiates a process of dialogue on a more comprehensive public policy for drought management. We all know it is much needed. -- Civil Society

Author Information

Jasveen Jairath is an independent consultant and researcher-advocate with a focus on the politics of water practice and policy, and Regional Coordinator of Capnet, South Asia. She graduated in Electrical Engineering and later shifted to Economics with a Masters in Political Economy from the New School for Social Research, New York, and a Ph.D. from the Centre for Economics Studies and Planning, JNU, New Delhi. She has been engaged with research, advocacy, networking and capacity building in the water sector through her tenures at government and non-government organisations. Through her specific field studies in Punjab, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, she has highlighted the social context of water to question technocratic and reductionist interpretations of the mainstream water discourse. Critical interventions in the policy debates on large dams, droughts and institutional reforms have been followed by the design and implementation of hands-on experimental water projects on the governance of urban water and sanitation systems in Madhya Pradesh. She has also been involved with institution building as the Project Director of Saciwaters for the first four years. She has been associated with initiating and establishing Capacity Building Networks in South Asia (Cap-net) as part of a global UNDP-promoted initiative for promoting IWRM. As a consultant, she has undertaken various assignments for the World Bank, NORAD, ADB and UNICEF, and has worked for bilateral donor-funded projects as a participatory strategy specialist. An active member of Global Water Partnerships at the regional level, she has been on the Board of Governor of World Water Council.

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