Water Sharing Institutions in Complex Coastal Commons: A Study of Cochin Estuary, Kerala, India

Abstract

"Management of multiple commons continues to be a challenge for policy makers due to diversity of ecosystem functions and social groups. However, common property theorists broadly agree that traditional communities were elegantly managing these issues through the interplay of water and wetland institutions. In the case of Cochin estuary of Kerala, the communities had designed a variety of institutions that enabled water sharing for multiple uses. A substantial shift in the uses of brackish water for commercial aquaculture and the decline of agriculture and capture fisheries has degenerated some of these water sharing institutions. Social conflicts emerged despite government interventions and policies. The collapse of these management systems escalated management complexities and exerted high pressure on sustainability and livelihoods. Despite these vulnerabilities, communities have been adapting to the crisis in many ways. The paper will analyse the past and present water sharing arrangements among multiple users in the study area and details changes occurred due to the entry of modern enterprises. It also tries to analyse the emerging self restructuring patterns of the system."