Restoration of urban water commons: Navigating social-ecological fault lines and inequities

Sen, Amrita and Unnikrishnan, Hita and Nagendra, Harini (2021) Restoration of urban water commons: Navigating social-ecological fault lines and inequities. Ecological restoration, 39 (1-2). pp. 120-129. ISSN 1543-4079

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Abstract

The networked tank/lake system of Bengaluru has been created by human intervention, with a documented history dating back to the 9th century C.E. The construction and maintenance of the tanks were overseen by local chieftains and supported by local communities, further managed through caste-based and gender-based systems of manual labor. With urban expansion, the lakes lost their importance as primary sources of water, leading to large-scale degradation. Land-use transformations impacted the socio-ecological commons landscape, exacerbating marginalization in nature-dependent communities such as grazers and fishers due to loss of livelihoods. State initiatives, coupled with community interventions, have helped revive some lakes in the past decade, though others remain severely degraded. Privileged and underprivileged caste groups describe very different pictures of the past, demonstrating divergent perspectives on how urbanization and lake revival have impacted their lives. Based on a case study of selected lakes in Bengaluru, we establish how social inclusion and exclusion are manifested through decision-making on lake management. We also seek to understand how these hierarchies have changed in response to urbanization, with aspirations toward a rhetoric of restoration but a practical focus on urban greening and recreational aesthetics. The impacts of urban transition and lake revival are shaped by differing power relationships manifested within the caste hierarchy.

Item Type:	Article
Authors:	Sen, Amrita and Unnikrishnan, Hita and Nagendra, Harini
Document Language:	Language English
Subjects:	Social sciences > Economics > International economics Social sciences > Economics > Production > Sustainable development Social sciences > Economics > Macroeconomics & related topics
Divisions:	Azim Premji University - Bengaluru > School of Development
Full Text Status:	Restricted
URI:	http://publications.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/id/eprint/7144
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