Barriers in Participative Water Governance: A Critical Analysis of Community Development Approaches

Participatory approaches within development programs involving common-pool resources are intended to revive a community's role in managing these resources. Certainly, to ensure the successful and equitable use of such resources, community participation is essential. However, in many cases, attempts at applying a participatory approach often fail to genuinely engage all subgroups within a community due to assumptions of homogeneity and a lack of understanding of the deep socio-political divisions between people. As a result, development programs can be plagued by these pre-existing power relations, potentially resulting in tokenistic community participation and the continuation of elite capture of natural resources to the same extent or worse than before a development program has begun. This in turn can negatively impact good governance and the fair distribution of a common pool resource. This paper explores the use of participatory approaches in water projects, assessing to what degree power relationships impact water management programs. Using a qualitative approach, the paper identifies key challenges of participatory water governance through case studies from Turkey, India, and Sri Lanka, exploring: lack of social trust, elite capture of participatory processes, power heterogeneity and imbalances at the micro-level, and a lack of inclusive participation in decision-making. Based on the analysis of these case studies, this paper argues that it is essential for participatory development interventions to understand socio-political power relations within a community-an inherently complex and contested space. The so-called exit strategy of a community project play a key role to decide the project sustainability that grants the community ownership of the project. Such an understanding can bring about greater success in development interventions attempting to address water-related issues.

Automated summary

Participatory approaches in development programs aim to involve communities in managing common-pool resources. However, assumptions of homogeneity and a lack of understanding of societal divisions often prevent genuine engagement of all subgroups. This paper explores the impact of power relationships on water management programs through case studies from Turkey, India, and Sri Lanka. It argues that understanding socio-political power relations is crucial for successful participatory development interventions.