Livelihoods, Vulnerability and Water Scarcity Fiona Miller SEI
Stockholm Slide 2 How do you read this landscape? What questions do
you begin to ask to understand the water issues here? Slide 3 Ways
of Seeing Rivers Source: Newson, 1997 A geomorphologists view An
engineers view Slide 4 A water managers view A river basin
authoritys view Source: Newson, 1997 Slide 5 Ways of seeing the
Mekong River Mekong River as cascade of dams Mekong River as
percentages of flow and catchment areas Source: Hirsch and Cheong,
1996 Source: MRC, 1999 Source: Ringler, 2001 Model of Mekong River
water use; river as nodes of water inflow and offtake, reservoirs,
hydropower stations Slide 6 Pressure on Water Resources China:
mainstream dams; rapid blasting; navigation expansion Laos:
tributary dam construction; subsistence livelihoods; dry season
irrigation expansion; Thailand: dry season irrigation expansion;
large-scale inter-basin diversion schemes Cambodia: floods, Tonle
Sap and fisheries and livelihoods; irrigation expansion How
vulnerable is the delta to water scarcity? Slide 7 Map of extent of
saline water intrusion, Mekong Delta Characteristics of Water
Scarcity in the Mekong Delta Region extremely vulnerable to
worsening water scarcity Differential vulnerabilities between
areas, livelihoods and social groups Concurrently a decline in dry
season water flows into the delta and an increase in water demand
throughout delta Salinity intrusion increasing in severity due to
rise in dry season water use throughout basin Water scarcity and
salinity intrusion reduce agricultural production and impact upon
human health Potential impacts on ecosystems, agricultural
production and food security have increased with agricultural
intensification and pop. growth Slide 8 How to indicate the level
of vulnerability to water scarcity? Map water scarce areas Identify
water scarce periods relate to cropping calendars Population
exposed number of people; number of people without access to safe
water sources; poverty indicators and poverty maps; Agriculture and
livelihoods exposed extent of investments; gross measures of
production; contribution to local incomes, employment, export
earnings, national GDP, food security; Health incidence of
water-borne diseases; child mortality rates; Adaptation and
Conflict Extent to which water scarcity a policy priority
Responsiveness and effectiveness of institutions Institutional
costs of water regulation, conflict prevention and resolution?
Slide 9 Availability of capital for investments Influence of system
inefficiency How are people vulnerable to water scarcity? Health
and sanitationAccess to diverse livelihood strategies Slide 10
Tail-enders perspective Transporting pump to field, Luong Hoa
Bucketing water to drain field, Tra Cu Silted canal with broken
gate How do institutions and social relations influence
vulnerability to water scarcity? Slide 11 Social Relations Under
Conditions of Water Scarcity: the case of Luong Hoa Commune Shift
from single to double-triple cropping in last 20 years Increasingly
human-regulated water control system High proportion of households
with in- direct water access System neglect and deterioration
Rising cost of water, low returns on agriculture Resistance to
formal modes of cooperation, yet some informal cooperation Limited
participation in water resources management decision making at
greater scales Potential for unequal water access to contribute to
greater social differentiation Slide 12 Individual Vulnerability to
Water Scarcity Land Position and Quality Pumping Arrangements
Access to diverse livelihood strategies Social Position and Asset
Base High land, far from canal-indirect access Land near canal -
direct access Well drained land, near canal - direct access Young
households Female headed households More established households
Enough investment for pumping, independent pumping Enough
investment for pumping, cooperate with neighbours Insufficient
investment for pumping, no cooperation with neighbours Upland crops
and gardens Local labouring Fish, with nets Fish,with rod Labouring
away Slide 13 Community Vulnerability to Water Scarcity Rice
intensification Reliant on an inefficient, inadequate water control
system Limited local cooperation and weak links with broader scale
institutions Lack of diverse livelihood strategies and degradation
of local environment Disparities in wealth, and rise in level of
landlessness and indebtedness Slide 14 Delta Vulnerability to Water
Scarcity Intensification of water use (requiring precise
applications) in the face of declining water security Inadequate
consideration of importance of ecological variability and dynamism
Lack of agro-ecological diversity contributes to greater agronomic
and economic risks Absence of effective institutions (equitable
water use coordination, management, conflict resolution) Slide 15
Indicators of Vulnerability to Water Scarcity Aspect of
Vulnerability Physical dimension Access Labour burden of water
collection (gender and age differences) Indicator of Vulnerability
Physical dimension Percentage of fields with direct access to
waterways Land fragmentation Cost of investment in water access
Hours spent collecting water Temporal dimension Critical periods
(e.g. beginning of crop cycle, prior to harvest) Temporal dimension
Crop calendars Social dimension Drinking water Health Institutions
(responsive, representative, anticipatory) Relations between
individuals, households, communities Social dimension Number of
people without access to safe water supplies Incidence of water
borne diseases ? Economic dimension Extent of investment Cost of
water access Diversification Inequality Economic dimension Extent
of investment & potential losses Water fees, pumping costs,
relations Diversification options in agriculture, aquaculture,
livestock, migration Gini-coefficients Slide 16 Neighbouring
farmers Farmer Group/Collective Community (including other water
users) Rice Farmer: water user, regulator and manager Influence of
Water Actors Slide 17 High level of cooperation: group pumping with
single pump High level of cooperation: farmer- organised
construction of canal Re-dredged kinh sn pipe Secondary canal Dyke
Greater cooperation: pumping with ditch on neighbours plot Limited
cooperation: sequential through- pumping with single pump
Neighbours plot (10 cong ) Plot of Farmer Pump Ditch Examples of
cooperation for water access Slide 18 Neighbouring farmers Farmer
Group/Collective Water Regulators: pump operators gate operators
neighbours Community (including other water users) System
Maintainers: labourers individual farmers lao ong cong ch dredging
companies Other Local Water Users: fishers boat operators local
residents Rice Farmer: water user, regulator and manager Policy
Makers: provincial water resource officials national water policy
officers international water experts global water actors Local
Water Managers: farmer groups/collectives agricultural officer
commune officials district water officials Slide 19 Neighbouring
farmers Farmer Group/Collective Water Regulators: pump operators
gate operators neighbours Community (including other water users)
System Maintainers: labourers individual farmers lao ong cong ch
dredging companies Influences access to water (timing and amount)
Pays for service; negotiate for improved service Influences
efficiency of system and water access Contributes labour or fee
Influence and negotiate on local water rules and norms; pay fees,
taxes; Set broad policy agenda & legal framework; design
institutional structure; design & construct water resources
infrastructure; Other Local Water Users fishers boat operators
local residents Influences water availability (quantity and
quality) Competes for water Formulates and regulates rules on water
use; resolves water conflicts Rice Farmer: water user, regulator
and manager Policy Makers provincial water resource officials
national water policy officers international water experts global
water actors Local Water Managers: farmer groups/collectives
agricultural officer commune officials district water officials Add
People! Slide 20 Concluding Comments and Questions The lenses we
use to look at the water landscape influence the sorts of questions
we ask What do we want to know? What data and knowledge counts? How
can WEAP assist us to address questions related to vulnerability
and livelihoods? WEAP-able: Upstream-downstream interactions
between provinces in the delta to identify areas of unmet demand
Make explicit the priorities and preferences regarding water use
Non-WEAP-able: Social and institutional implications of scarcity
Differentiated implications of water scarcity Water is much more
about a process of negotiation rather than allocation Balance
between data and process Slide 21 Malcon Newson. Land, Water &
Development Sustainable Management of River Basin System.
London.
