Many predict that by the end of the 21st century water will dominate world natural resource politics as oil does today. At present, much of the world's water is misallocated, wasted or polluted. This book argues that fairness in the allocation of water could be the cornerstone to a more secure future for mankind.

Many predict that by the end of the 21st century water will dominate world natural resource politics as oil does today. At present, much of the world's water is misallocated, wasted or polluted. This book argues that fairness in the allocation of water could be the cornerstone to a more secure future for mankind.

Bringing together a multidisciplinary set of scholars and diverse case studies from across the globe, this book explores the management, governance, and understandings around water, a key element in the assemblage of hydrosocial territories. Hydrosocial territories are spatial configurations of people, institutions, water flows, hydraulic technology and the biophysical environment that revolve around the control of water. Territorial politics finds expression in encounters of diverse actors with divergent spatial and political–geographical interests; as a result, water (in)justice and (in)equity are embedded in these socio-ecological contexts. The territory-building projections and strategies compete, superimpose and align to strengthen specific water-control claims of various interests. As a result, actors continuously recompose the territory’s hydraulic grid, cultural reference frames, and political–economic relationships. Using a political ecology focus, the different contributions to this book explore territorial struggles, demonstrating that these contestations are not merely skirmishes over natural resources, but battles over meaning, norms, knowledge, identity, authority and discourses. The articles in this book were originally published in the journal Water International.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "New Water Regimes" that was published in Resources

"Building upon the theoretical and empirical findings, Verdini offers advice for practitioners on effective negotiation and dispute resolution strategies that avoid the presumption that there are not enough resources to go around, and that one side must win and the other must inevitably lose."--Page [4] of cover.

Nestled amidst rolling hills, Shillong, the Himalayan capital city of Meghalaya in India’s northeast, faces a growing challenge of water scarcity. This timely book examines the role of urban and traditional village councils (the Khasi dorbar shnong) in shaping equitable water distribution and management through the lens of social sustainability. The book navigates through the complexities of water governance, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities and elucidating the interplay between tradition and modernity in urban governance. It also features narratives of success and struggle, and covers diverse themes, including social capital and gender. It initially foregrounds social sustainability setting the context for the study. It ventures into a detailed examination of the institutions of the village councils, with particular attention to water equity and water governance, including highlighting differences between municipal and non-municipal areas. The volume offers significant theoretical and empirical insights into Shillong's water challenges, filling a gap in the literature on northeast hill towns/cities. Part of Transitions in Northeastern India series, this book will be valuable to a diverse audience including students, researchers, policy practitioners, community leaders, and general readers interested in urban studies, sociology, development studies, public administration, Asian studies, sustainability, and those concerned about our urban-water future.