ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

Articles by Rakesh TiwarySubscribe to Rakesh Tiwary

Redeeming Critique

The Politics of Dams: Developmental Perspectives and Social Critique in Modern India by Hanna Werner, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2015, pp xviii + 256, ₹895.

Social Organisation of Shared Well Irrigation in Punjab

An institution of shared well irrigation has existed for long in Punjab since the days of the Persian wheel about which there is little information available. This institution which is based on the intertwined relations of social structure and physical aspects of irrigation continues to be a significant part of social, economic and cultural life of the cultivators of Punjab. The institution has its own sets of principles and rules, where linkages of land and water, notions of equity and consensus shape the recurrent patterns of behaviour. The traditional irrigation system has been durable enough to negotiate technological changes from Persian wheels to submersible pumps. This paper aims to analyse the social organisation of shared well irrigation, with its structural and functional aspects, in the villages of Punjab.

Conflicts over International Waters

International river basins have become breeding grounds for conflicts among/between riparian states. The major traditionally discussed factors of conflict around international waters have been the riparian structure associated benefits and disadvantages, sovereignty notions, upstream-downstream diverging interests and regional power hierarchy. However, these factors are fairly stable for a long period of time in a given basin. These geopolitical or "space" centric explanations allocate too much emphasis on locations, thus draw unilinear and almost permanent conclusions. The basin states, instead of being passive recipients, keep interacting over resources as self-seeking political units for maximising their net benefits. This paper analyses these interactions through the example of Ganga water dispute between the two co-riparian nations - India and Bangladesh.

Back to Top