Public participation in water governance

Abstract

Public participation in water management remains an evolving issue. International and regional instruments provide mechanisms for local community participation in water related projects and policies. This chapter gives an overview of the growing participatory rights and how participatory processes have influenced the institutional, legal, and political development of water law. It assesses the efficiency of participatory mechanisms, the interplay between law and institutions, and the influence of people on policy-and decision-making. The chapter concludes that water governance is shaped primarily by domestic process with some influence from international processes, with interaction between formal and informal modes of participation. © 2009 Springer Netherlands.