About the project
By water regimes this project refers to the configurations of actors, technologies and institutions through which water provisioning materialises. Peri-urban spaces are transitioning spaces, combining features of both rural and urban environments and being characterised by socio-economic heterogeneity. The diversity of actors, technologies and institutions through which water provisioning materialises translates into a great diversity of water regimes. Though the academic interest in issues of peri-urban water insecurity has grown in recent years, the heterogeneity of water provisioning regimes and their interlinkages with nature remains a critical knowledge gap. Addressing this gap is of central importance for policy-makers, and for making appropriate plans for water provision in these transitional spaces.
Against this background, the research seeks to address the following questions:
- How are water regimes (actors, technologies and institutions) configured in peri-urban spaces?
- How does nature influence the functioning of the water regimes?
- What forms of ecological threats and development trajectories influence the regime-nature relationship?
- What are the implications of the regime-nature relationship for peri-urban sustainability and social justice?
In this backdrop, we explore the functioning of three water regimes in peri-urban areas of three cities – namely, Delhi (irrigation), Guwahati (stormwater), and Darjeeling (drinking water supply).
Theoretically, we draw on Science and Technology Studies (STS) and Urban Political Ecology (UPE) to explain interlinkages between water regimes and the embedded nature. The research is conducted using a qualitative research approach, drawing on ethnography, semi-structured interviews and direct observation of water access and provisioning.
