Changing Hydrosocial Cycles in Periurban India

Abstract

India’s urbanisation results in the physical and societal transformation of the areas surrounding cities. These periurban interfaces are spaces of flows, shaped by an exchange of matter, people and ideas between urban and rural spaces—and currently they are zones in transition. Periurbanisation processes result inter alia in changing water demands and changing relations between water and society. In this paper the concept of the hydrosocial cycle is applied to interpret the transformation of the waterscapes of six periurban villages in the fringe areas of Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata. In doing so, three specific aspects will be investigated: (1) the institutions shaping the hydro-social cycle, (2) the interplay between water as a livelihood-base and the waterscape, (3) the interplay between the waterscape and water as a consumption good. This approach opens new views on periurban interfaces as emerging mosaic of unique waterscapes. The meaning of water, the rights to access water and the water related infrastructure are constantly renegotiated, as permanently new water demands emerge and new actors enter the scene. Especially this process-based understanding links the theoretical lens of the hydrosocial cycle with the object of investigation, the periurban space.

Geographies of peri‐urbanization in the global south

“…The third reason why authors use the term peri‐urbanization is because they aim to highlight that the future of the peri‐urban is spatially and temporally contingent (see, e.g., Bartels et al., 2020; Butsch et al., 2021; Simon, 2020). For these authors, the term peri‐urbanization indicates that multiple processes of transformation are not‐always‐transforming‐into‐urban 7 .…”

“…and has shown that the transforming governance/institutional framework is often marked by sectorial approaches, overlapping jurisdictions, legal pluralism, regulatory confusion, and institutional gaps (Allen, 2014; Friedmann, 2016; Ros‐Tonen et al., 2015; Sawyer, 2014). Recently, studies have focused on aspects of governance, including: land (Balestri, 2019; Jensen et al., 2019; Labbé, 2016; Myers, 2008; Narain, 2009; Shatkin, 2016; Sood, 2021; Trefon, 2009; Zhu, 2013), water (Adams & Zulu, 2015; Aguilar & López, 2009; Allen et al., 2017; Butsch et al., 2021; Hui & Wescoat, 2019; Narain & Singh, 2019; Sreeja et al., 2017), and the connections between land and water (Bartels et al., 2018; Narain, 2014; Sreeja et al., 2017; Vij et al., 2018). …”

“…water (Adams & Zulu, 2015; Aguilar & López, 2009; Allen et al., 2017; Butsch et al., 2021; Hui & Wescoat, 2019; Narain & Singh, 2019; Sreeja et al., 2017),…”

Urban Diversity Impact on Plant Species Due to Environmental Conditions

“…Karachi is located at 24 o 45'N to 25 o 37'N and 66 o 42'E to 67 o 34'E along the coast of the Arabian Sea (Fig. 1) and it is eight meters above sea level [26]. The difference in precipitation between the driest month and the wettest month is 52 mm|2 inch.…”

To Be, to Do, to Share: The Triple-Loop of Water Governance to Improve Urban Water Resilience—Testing the Benidorm’ Experience, Spain

“…Urban water resilience, considered a response to climate change and natural hazards to overcome water scarcity and flash flood events and ensure water supply and quality [7], is especially challenging in peri-urban spaces. As rural-urban interfaces, they are formerly rural spaces transformed due to cities' growth and expansion, sharing intersections of flows shaped by exchanging resources, infrastructures, and imaginaries [8]. Peri-urban spaces are characterized by high heterogeneity and intensity of land-use change [9], stakeholders with often conflicting interests regarding water resources use [10], and inadequate or limited management and governance structures [11].…”