River basin management: A negotiated approach - A report by Both ENDS and Gomukh

This report by Both ENDS and Gomukh compiles and showcases a set of seven case studies where a ‘negotiated approach’ to River Basin Management was already being used in different parts of the world and in different geographical and socio-political environments. It builds its analysis on real life experiences, including both successful and less successful attempts to implement and scale up local water management techniques. It sets out to go beyond general policy analyses, which tend to describe `what is’ or propose recipes that are based on theoretical research. 

Through analysis and comparison of seven case studies, the report generates a set of conclusions on the potential of river basin management based on local visions and experiences. It shows that the universal applicability of these experiences, which have so far been looked upon as isolated experiments or success stories, need to be acknowledged. It introduces each of the case studies in its unique ecological, socio-political and economic context.

It describes each experience with issues such as water harvesting, large scale water infrastructure and the involvement of many different stakeholders. Institution building is also explained. Basic fact sheets of each case-study can be found in the appendix. It then presents an analysis of conventional approaches to water management and development, introducing the negotiated approach as a viable and sustainable option that has evolved from contemporary and traditional practices.

Three major issues are analysed relating to river basin management from a local perspective: negotiation and participation, appropriate technologies, and the ecosystem approach. The project concludes that local action can engage in higher-level, larger scale river basin management. In fact, it is a ‘must’ for these organisations, since their actions affect other stakeholders, and vice versa.    

The report states that governments, donor organisations and international institutions do have a major role to play in effectively engaging local actors. It ends with a list of conclusions and suggestions for follow-up activities for them, as well as for interested civil society organisations and academia. The report can be downloaded from the Both ENDS website here