Water: A way of life

Sustainable water management in a cultural context

A.J.M. (Lida) Schelwald-van der Kley, Linda Reijerkerk

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2009
• ISBN:
  9781135210922
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Environmental Science
• Index: Biological Sciences

"Water: a way of life" takes the reader on a water journey through time and across the worlds continents. Along the way it explains the past and present ways in which different cultures around the world, both traditional and modern, view and manage water in response to the distinct environment they inhabit. A better understanding of cultural water beliefs and practices may lead to new concepts for future sustainable water management - from flood management to water supply, sanitation and irrigation management.

Chapter 1
Introduction to water & culture

Our history is tied to these waters. Our continued reliance on fishing, trapping and hunting and our desire to do so is dependent on these waters. Our future is based on these waters… Any threat to such waters poses a direct threat to our survival.

Grand Chief B.G. Cheechoo, chief of the Nishnawbe-Aski Nation in Canada, explaining the relationship between water and his culture.

Have you ever wondered why water management projects often fail? Are you concerned about the fact that as a consequence too many people in this world still suffer from too much, too little or too filthy water? Are you looking for sustainable solutions for water resource management that really work? If so, we hope you find this book about water and culture a source of inspiration.

This book, which is based on extensive research, is intended to form a cultural bridge towards new sustainable water management practices. Water: a way of life takes you on a water journey through time and across the world’s continents. Along the way it explains the past and present ways in which different cultures around the world, both traditional and modern, have viewed and managed water in response to the environment they inhabit. A better understanding of these cultural water beliefs and practices may lead to new concepts for future sustainable water management – from flood management to water supply, sanitation and irrigation management.

The book may prove useful to water professionals exporting knowledge and technologies to foreign countries. The challenge is to come up with sustainable solutions for water management by taking into account local, cultural factors. The book is also meant to encourage world leaders, politicians and decision makers responsible for water management to really make a change for the benefit of the people they represent. The book provides clear examples and answers on how to improve sustainable water management by taking into account cultural aspects and the way in which these influence individuals and institutional decision-making processes.

1.1 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CULTURAL DIMENSION

Why is the cultural dimension so important in sustainable water management?

Back in 2003, at the third World Water Forum in Kyoto, UNESCO issued a Statement¹ in which they clearly indicated the importance of the relationship between

Figure 1.1 Living with water.

water and culture. It said, among other things, that:

– Water is a vital resource, having economic, ecological, societal and spiritual functions. Consequently, its management greatly determines sustainability.

– Due to its fundamental role in the life of societies, water has a strong cultural dimension. Without understanding and considering the cultural aspects of our water problems no sustainable solution can be found.

– Relations between peoples and their environments are embedded in culture. The intimate relationship between water and peoples should be explicitly taken into account in all decision-making processes.

– The ways in which water is conceived and valued, understood and managed, used or abused, worshipped or desecrated, are influenced by the cultures of which we are a part.

– As the frequent failure of “imported” solutions has proven, water resources management will fail if it lacks the full consideration of these cultural implications.

– Cultural diversity, developed over millennia by human societies, contains a trove of sustainable practices and innovative approaches.

As such, managing water is as much cultural as it is technical. For these and other reasons, the cultural dimension of water and its management deserves further exploration.²

As indicated in various papers of the World Bank, ‘Culture is not an optional special interest, nor a sector in administrative terms. It is rather a critical filter through which the content, design and expected impact of the Bank’s development activities should be examined for improved effectiveness and outcome.’³

1.2 STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK

The chapters in this book touch upon a number of cultural aspects and topics relevant to achieving the goal of sustainable water management. Each chapter provides a mix of noteworthy examples as well as historic and recent facts about water management in relation to culture. They are further illustrated by case studies and views from visionary people telling their sparkling stories about water and culture.

The five main chapters pertain to water as:

1.2.1 A source of life

Water and culture are strongly interlinked. Water is a vital source of life, and culture greatly determines a person’s “way of life.” This includes the way people manage their water resources, having adapted themselves to the environment in which they live. For centuries sustainable water management has been daily practice in many cultures, resulting in a delicate balance between water resources and human society. Water has played a more or less prominent role in cultures, depending on the environmental conditions people had to face. Indigenous cultures are still renowned for their ingenious and sustainable water practices. Modern practices have often disturbed and overruled these traditional practices, with undesired consequences. Examples can be found in many former colonies, where social structures were disrupted by the foreign rulers. Despite the high quality of many of the pre-existing water management systems, the new rulers considered them to be primitive and “backward.” They used their supposed superiority to urge natives to exploit the valuable water resources. Water lost its mystery and came to be seen as a mere commodity. However, in today’s societies we often see a revival of old traditions and a more natural and sustainable use of water.

1.2.2 A source of inspiration

In most cultures water is also a source of inspiration and has been for many centuries. People have adopted deeply rooted spiritual and religious values and beliefs that bind them and support them in living the way they do. These play an important role in water management. Yet despite the water wisdom we find in many societies, wise water management is still a bridge too far – or isn’t it? Lately, religious and spiritual leaders have been rethinking their values and their roles in safeguarding creation and the earth’s resources.

1.2.3 A source of power

For a long time water was viewed as a source of power that should be controlled. The Egyptians and Romans set the example, being masters in irrigation and the creation of major water works that controlled water’s ways. In more recent time periods large-scale dams for water storage and hydropower became common practice, thereby often displacing entire communities and ecosystems. Furthermore, freely meandering rivers were engineered and tamed to become artificial “rivers” (canals). Many countries are currently trying to reverse this latter practice by allowing rivers to once again meander freely.

Throughout the ages water has also be used to exert political power and gain control over people and over entire regions.

1.2.4 A source of conflict or of cooperation?

Both within and between states, access to water and control over its allocation can become a source of conflict. This naturally becomes most evident in regions where water is scarce and the demands from different users are high. A well-known example is the Tigris-Euphrates river basin. As a result of the construction of dams, hydro-electric power plants and large-scale irrigation works upstream in Turkey, the flow of water to the downstream countries of Iraq and Syria is reduced considerably. This obviously causes tensions between these countries, as water in the region is already short in supply. If we look at it from the positive side, shared water resources between countries that share the same river basins can also provide opportunities to promote international cooperation – as opposed to interstate conflict. As such, water can be a source of cooperation.

1.2.5 A source of sustainability

Cultural traditions cannot be ignored when trying to solve the global water issues and challenges facing us today. These are driven by either a scarcity or an abundance of water and are exacerbated by climate change.

The ongoing challenge, from the local to the global level, is to take appropriate measures to be able to foresee the need for water at the right time and place and of the right quality for the benefit of all. Population growth and the resulting increase in water demand and pollution, as well as the expected sea-level rise due to the resulting climate change, call for adequate and timely action. World-wide problems of droughts and flooding ask for international cooperation. In fact, our future depends on it. Having a “common challenge” to mitigate and adapt to climate change may help, as throughout the ages people have realized that cooperation is essential for survival. Furthermore, a better understanding of the way various cultures in different parts of the world perceive and manage water may lead to new concepts for sustainable water management. Water needs to again become a source of sustainability.

1.3 THE BROADER CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE WATER MANAGEMENT

‘Knowing the context is knowing the kind of questions to ask.’

1.3.1 Sustainable water management

In order for water management to be sustainable, a balance needs to be found between social, environmental and economic factors. This notion of sustainable development, often referred to as the Triple P concept, has been embraced by many around the globe. It aims at development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.¹¹⁴

How do culture and water management fit into this picture? To start with the latter, the sustainability concept is seen as protecting and managing water as a valuable resource of the earth for the use of present and future generations, while at the same time balancing the different – and sometimes conflicting – interests and needs. As stated in the introduction of this book, water has economic as well as ecological and social functions. The challenge is to find a sustainable balance between these aspects.

Culture has everything to do with people, but also with the interaction people have with their environment, including the way they view and use their water resources.

Figure 1.2 Sustainability is about finding a balance between social, environmental and financial needs and realities.

Finding the right balance…

There are three main pillars of sustainable development, often represented in the well-known and broadly used Triple P (People, Planet, Profit) concept. These pillars are also referred to as social, ecological and economics conditions.

Ideally, water management practices should be socially and environmentally bearable, thereby not exceeding the carrying capacity of the environment. Next there are the socio-economic relationships between people and profit-making. These should also be taken into account in decision-making processes about water management, with an aim for equitable solutions. Water is the fuel for our economy. Water can be a limiting factor in socio-economic development but also an opportunity for people to obtain a better livelihood. Trying to find a fair balance entails the risk of trade-offs between the three pillars of sustainable development. As such, ecologies and economies often seem to be in conflict with ...

Table of contents

• Contents
• Preface
• About the authors
• Chapter 1 Introduction to water & culture
• Chapter 2 Water: a source of life
• Chapter 3 Water: a source of inspiration
• Chapter 4 Water: a source of power
• Chapter 5 Water: a source of cooperation or of conflict?
• Chapter 6 Water: a source of sustainability
• Annexes