Contested Waters, Conflicting Livelihoods and Water Regimes in Bangladesh

The present study attempts to understand the factors that condition the con-testation between the saline water and fresh water in the south western coastal district in Bangladesh. The study takes in to the historical process and political economic forces that changed the water regimes and resulted into conflicting livelihoods that require two different waters. The study takes a political ecology approach to gather insights on the political and economic dynamics that cut across the water and agricultural issues. The study findings show that at the village level unequal power relations is related to the access to and control over waters. It furthers shows that the contestation between saline water and fresh water is constituted within the contradictions in the institutions and conflicting policies. Therefore, the study findings suggest integrated policy planning for mixed cultivation i.e. rice and shrimp cultivation, by taking into account peo-ple’s aspiration for their livelihood in a participatory way.-- Relevance to Development Studies -- In the recent times water is increasing coming into development discussions because of its vital role in development. Therefore, understanding how water is managed and how it affects people’s livelihood are crucial for development planning. How water scarcity is understood within the context of global envi-ronmental change and climate change is important because it is reflected in the way water is managed. By providing a village case study and linking it with the policy interventions, this study shows how water crisis for different livelihoods can evolve in the absence of integrated planning and co-ordination among in-stitutions. It also focus on the distributional aspect of water scarcity and thus highlights the importance of participatory water management policy is impor-tant for development.