Water Rights and Social Justice in the Mekong Region

The Mekong Region has come to represent many of the important water governance challenges faced more broadly by the mainland Southeast Asian region. This book focuses on the complex nature of water rights and social justice in the Mekong region. The chapters delve into the diverse social, political and cultural dynamics that shape the various realities and scales of water governance in the region, in an effort to bring to the forefront some of the local nuances required in the formulation of a larger vision of justice in water governance. It is hoped that this contextualized analysis will deepen our understanding of the potential of, and constraints, on water rights in the region, particularly in relation to the need to realize social justice.

The authors show how vitally important it is that water governance is democratized to allow a more equitable sharing of water resources and counteract the pressures of economic growth that may pose risks to social welfare and environmental sustainability.

Preface: About M-POWER 1. Water Governance and Water Rights in the Mekong Region Participation in Decision-making 2. Water Transfer Planning in Northeast Thailand: Rhetoric and Practice 3. Local People's Participation in Involuntary Resettlement in Vietnam: A Case Study of the Son La Hydropower Project Access and Equity 4. Rights and Rites: Local Strategies to Manage Competition for Water Resources in Northern Thailand 5. Local institutions and the Politics of Watershed Management in the Uplands of Northern Thailand 6. Gender, Commercialization and the Fisheries-Aquaculture Divide in the Mekong Region Competing Demands 7. Fisheries, Nutrition and Regional Development Pathways: Reasserting Food Rights 8. Livelihood and Environment Trade-offs at the Time of Doi Moi: Industrial Water Use and Wastewater Management in a Craft Village in Peri-Urban Hanoi Water Rights and Climate Vulnerability 9. Climate Change in the Asian Highlands: Socio-economic Implications for the Mekong Region 10. Linking Climate Change Risks and Rights of Upland Peoples in the Mekong Conclusion 11. Seeking Justice in Managing Water in the Mekong Region: Theory and Praxis Index

Kate M. Lazarus is a water governance specialist with the Mekong Program on Water Environment and Resilience (M-POWER) and the Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF), Lao PDR.

Nathan Badenoch is an Associate Professor at Kyoto University's Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Japan. Nga Dao is co-founder and director of the Center for Water Resources Conservation and Development (WARECOD) in Vietnam and a PhD student in human geography at York University, Canada.

Bernadette P. Resurreccion is Associate Professor in Gender & Development Studies, School of Environment, Resources & Development at the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand.