Sharing the Good. Modes of Managing Water Resources in the Lower Mekong River Basin

Abstract

The general purpose of this thesis is to provide an empirically based study of International River Basin management in order to contribute to the global policydebate on water resources management and the role of water in the development process. The reviews the recent 'water management' debate and a number oftheoretical positions on the topic. Three empirical case studies of water management are conducted on regional (including Thailand, Laos, Cambodia andVietnam), national (Cambodia), and local level (eight villages in Southeast Cambodia) in the Lower Mekong River Basin. Given previous experiences of conflicts in the region, the direct tension over water access, as well as the prevailing poverty and water scarcity on local level, itis imperative to carry out this sensitive and complex allocation task cautiously. The actors in the Mekong Basin are under high pressure to 'manage' waterresources in order to address development and political problems. There is an obvious risk that various uses of the water are incompatible, and that conflicts ofvarious sorts will emerge as a consequence. It is, however, also a Basin in which the major actors are attempting to cooperate, and in which there is a chancethat problems can be identified before conflicts have become manifest. The empirical base is researched through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, where semi-structured interviews are complemented by locallevel surveys and reviews of official documents. The thesis proposes that regional cooperation in contrast to state-centrism, and 'alternative' in contrast to 'mainstream' policies, hold greater chances tocontribute to development without triggering destructive conflicts in the process. The conclusions reached support that proposition and argue that the'alternative' approach in combination with a regional perspective represents the best option for contributing to development. However, several qualificationsneed to be added to the idea of 'alternative' methods if it is to be a viable approach in this context. Conceptually, it is an attempt to relate development to conflict prevention (and vice versa), and discusses through which processes development activities mightor might not trigger conflicts. More concretely, the thesis aims at understanding under which general principles and by which overall methods, majordevelopment interventions can be undertaken without causing conflicts of such magnitude that the development effort is nullified. Indexing terms: Water, water management, conflict, Mekong, Lower Mekong Basin, Cambodia, development, alternative development, hydropolitics,Southeast Asia ISBN: 91-87380-46-3