The Political economy of water security in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand
Student name: Ms Nuvodita Singh
Guide: Dr Arabinda Mishra
Year of completion: 2015
Host Organisation: Centre for Ecology Development and Research (CEDAR), Dehradun
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Devendra Chauhan
Abstract: Mussoorie provides an interesting case of a city which has seen advancement in the number of tourists it receives, but as far as infrastructural provisioning is concerned, it is still stuck somewhere in the colonial era, depending overtly on the groundwork done by the British. The structures built by them do add to Mussoorie’s charm, but not tending to the requirements of the rush of tourists that it receives in present day can put it at the verge of losing its main source of income. It has moved on from acting as a summer retreat meant for the British and the elite Indians during the colonial period, to becoming a popular tourist spot for Indians across classes and states in the post Independence era; known across both periods, as the Queen of the hills. It is interesting to note how tourism is promoted while simultaneously dealing with a severe water crunch. The report also looks at what the developments in Mussoorie have meant for a local community of washermen in an area called Dhobighat. It speaks about negotiations between the state and the community to avail of water supply services for the larger good, about hydrosocial relations, inter and intra community relations getting affected, and how this is entrenched in the evolution of water rights over time. The case study is a story about how water runs as a connecting theme between different livelihoods, which affect and are affected by the larger water governance and planning of Mussoorie.
Keywords: Political Economy, Water Security, Hydrosocial Relations, Dhobighat, Water Rights
