The Political Economy of Water Management

(with a focus on the Middle East)

One of the sources of the Jordan River, Hasbani Springs, Hasbaya, Lebanon

DEV 5012A Natural Resources and Development

Mark Zeitoun, Arts 1.17
office hours: Thursdays, 11-2
(sign-up sheet on door – no emails
please if you can avoid them)
Review of last class
Evolution of Water Resources Management
[ RECALL from prev classes ]

‘dollars per drop

‘crops per drop

Ohlsson et al 1999
IWRM [ RECALL from prev classes ]

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)

Most IWRM is based on Dublin Principles:

“1. Fresh water is a finite and vulnerable resource, essential to sustain life,
development and the environment.

2. Water development and management should be based on a participatory

approach, involving users, planners and policymakers at all levels.

3. Women play a central part in the provision, management and safeguarding of

water.

4. Water has an economic value in all its competing uses and should be recognized
as an economic good. “
(from 1992 International Conference on Water and the Environment)
IWRM Method:
- participatory management
- decentralised management p s : s/c o ns)
- subsidiary regulation u z z Grou ment (pro
B ssess ip les.
c k a in c
- watershed as unit of management qui
D u b lin Pr
of the
 Housekeeping

Friday 15 Nov 1pm: Film Screening

(no prep required)

Friday 22 Nov: Red Sea – Dead Sea Role play

(no prep required, but read the handout)

Join

River Basin Game for MSc students 21 Nov at

1pm, LSB 01.21
 This class

Sustainable water use remains an elusive quest for many water

managers in the Middle East.

Small farmers have few options relating to their water use, in

face of pricing, subsidies, cabals of industrial farmers and policy
set primarily by politicians. [This is the ‘political economy’]

We will explore basic sub-national water politics affecting water

demand management and water allocations, with a focus on
groundwater development in Jordan, Palestine and Israel.
 Questions and argument
What drives and prevents sustainable water resource use and sustainable
livelihoods based on water?

Do current water resource management and agricultural policies secure

livelihoods? for who?

In most parts of the world, water policy and use is

determined by what is possible, not what scientists advise is
best. i.e. by the political economy.

à for Analysis / research: The political economy must be

understood.
à for Policy: be aware of the political economic context you
are trying to understand and/or operating in.
1. Theory recall
Scarcity
Hydraulic mission

2. Water Use in the Middle East

Jordan
Israel
West Bank (‘Palestine’)

3. Analysis
1. THEORY (recall!)

Scarcity

Hydraulic Mission
Biophysical water scarcity
Drought affecting rainfed crops, midwest US

✗
… also biophysical water scarcity ??

r s carc ity
ia l wate
Soc
Discrimination based on
wealth / caste / religion / nationality
(i.e. distribution)
http://soilcrop.tamu.edu/photogallery/cornsorghum+/pages/drought%20stress
%202.htm
Recall - The ‘hydraulic mission’
‘political economy’
character of the
What does happen
Society’s version of sustainable water
management – Politically constructed, and
driven by society, culture and history.
Infrastructure as a major part of any ‘solution.
Reconciling these is a
discursive and a
political process
What ‘should’ happen
The ecosystems science and
economics version of sustainable
resource management
Desert Bloom – Ica Valley, Peru

‘Desert Bloom Syndrome’ - Molle

Hepworth et al. 2010

3. Political Economy of Water in
the Middle East

(Regional and sub-regional focus, with global implications)

Irrigation in the Jordan River Basin

Lebanon

Syria

Israel

Jordan
West Bank

FAO 2009
Gaza
Jordan River Basin
Lebanon Syria
States respond to
powerful farming lobbies
by subsidising water
prices.

The way the political

economy is arranged,
West Bank
some farmers benefit,
others are optionless.

Greening the Desert and

Jordan The Race to the Bottom
Israel
continue…
Gaza

see Molle 2008,2009

Hasbani River, rising in southern Lebanon
Golan Heights Syria Jordan

Lake of Tiberias
Israel
 Jordan

Dead Sea

West Bank
(Palestinian
Authority)
Jordan
Jordan – King Abdullah Canal

JORDAN ISRAEL
Jordan – Greening the Desert
Large farmers
Small farmers
Farm labourers
Israel
Israel – National Water Carrier
Large farmers
Palestine Small farmers
Farm labourers
Israel – Farming scientists and labourers
Large farmers
Small farmers
Farm labourers
Israel – Greening the Desert
Palestine
‘Palestine’ – Fields irrigated and waiting to be
Large farmers
JORDAN Small farmers
Farm labourers
WEST BANK
‘Palestine’ – rainfed farming
Analysis
Answering the Questions

Jordan Israel ‘Palestine’

Sustainable water use? Not really Not really Yes, but…
Water management
Supply Supply Supply
paradigm
Security of farmers and Large Jordanian
Israeli farmers –
labourers (livelihoods) farmers – high
high
Small Jordanian Low
Palestinians and
farmers – low
Asian immigrants –
low
Immigrants – low
Drivers Political
Political Economy Political Economy
Economy
National Water
No No No
Security Achieved?
Analysis

Jordan Israel ‘Palestine’

Sustainable water use? Not really Not really Yes, but…
Water management
Supply Supply Supply
paradigm
Security of farmers and Large Jordanian
Israeli farmers –
labourers (livelihoods) farmers – high
high
Small Jordanian Low
Palestinians and
farmers – low
Asian immigrants –
low
Immigrants – low
Drivers Political
Political Economy Political Economy
Economy
National Water
No No No
Security Achieved?
 QUESTIONS and ARGUMENT
(Recall)

What drives and prevents sustainable water resource use and sustainable
livelihoods based on water?

Do current water resource management and agricultural policies secure

livelihoods? for who? arising from
p l i ca ti ons
h e r polic y i m , etc)
ut t h e o t h au v i n i sm
+ think abo ti ce , right s, ra c i sm , c
i s ( j u s
alys of the world, water policy and use is
his anparts
Intmost
determined by what is possible, not what scientists advise is
best. i.e. by the political economy.

à for Analysis / research: The political economy must be

understood.
à for Policy: be aware of the political economic context you
are trying to understand and/or operating in.
Some References

Allan, J. A. (2001) The Middle East Water Question: Hydropolitics and the Global Economy.
London, UK: I.B. Tauris.

FAO (2009) Irrigation in the Middle East region in figures. FAO Water Reports No. 34. Franken,
Karen. Rome, Food and Agriculture Organisation.

MOLLE, F. & FLOCH, P. 2008. The "Desert bloom" syndrome: Irrigation development, politics,
and ideology in the Northeast of Thailand. In: PAPER, W. (ed.). Chiang Mai: Mekong Program on
Water, Environment and Resilience, Institut de recherche pour le developpement, International
Water Management Institute, MPOWER.

World Bank (2007) Making the Most of Scarcity: Accountability for Better Water Management
Results in the Middle East and North Africa. MENA Development Report. Washington, DC, The
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank.
misc slides
 Recall - Planetary Boundaries

Global Freshwater Us
Planetary Boundary:
[to be considered critically, at least for freshwater use]

4,000 km3/y

Currently we use
2, 600 (!)

see debates
Rockstrom et al 2009
and Gerten et al 2013

vs Nordhaus et al 2012
and Bogardi et a 2013
Rocsktröm et al 2009
Key Questions à ANSWERS
Question to be addressed:

Is there a (global) crisis?

What drives or prevents sustainable water use? , i n the

c s
c o nomi c o nomy
i c s and e olitical e
polit t global p
n
curre i s m , etc
What is driving water distribution issues? c ha uvin
i na tion,
im
discr

What are we/you going to do about it?

Virtual Water - Trade
Hoekstra and Chapagain

See also…
Water Footprint Network;
WWF ;Waterwise

KCL-SOAS Water & Water Policy 42

World Bank 2009