ANNOUNCEMENTS
Certain regions of the world, despite receiving substantial amounts of rainfall face a water paradox – a too much, too little syndrome. The communities residing in such regions face water scarcity during the dry as well as the rainy seasons. Mountainous regions, the water towers of the world, face this water paradox too. The unique biophysical and social characteristics, and the political economy and institutional structures of these regions contribute to the creation of this paradox.
Such regions have a difficult terrain dotted with springs and streams. They are largely dependent on tourism creating a strong seasonal demand for water which coincides with the dry seasons. The spatial distribution of urbanization creates variation on the provisioning of services. The changing political regimes and economic investments thus driven into the water infrastructure also affect the issue of water scarcity.
In order to understand the various drivers that lead to the manifestation of water scarcity in a volumetrically “water-rich” region, this work will adapt the human development approach to water which uses the four orders of scarcity physical, economic, adaptive capacity, and socially constructed. The use of such an approach is necessary because limited natural resources cannot be equated with scarcity as it is a property which emerges out of human interaction or social provisioning.
