Work

‘Taming’ a Wicked Problem: Selective Problematisation of Issues of Urban Water Supply in Mumbai

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: The lack of universal urban water access in the cities in the global south is a wicked problem. Using the case of Mumbai, this paper illustrates how consistently this wicked problem was chiselled and selectively problematised to turn it into a tame problem – a problem of water shortages at the city level. The chiselling included neglecting the essential aspects of urban water supply, such as supply coverage, pressure and leakages, which define the quality of urban water service received by citizens. Through chiselling and selective problematisation, the paper illustrates how the problem of providing universal urban water access in Mumbai was ignored for decades and the issues of water shortages were emphasised alone to justify and prioritise the development of dams.

Source: Journal of Asian and African Studies

DOI: 10.1177/00219096241287718

Authors: Sachin Tiwale, Subodh Wagle

Institutions: Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

Language: English

Topic: Water Governance and Infrastructure

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Clean water and sanitation, Sustainable cities and communities, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: bronze

OpenAlex ID: W4403689341

FWCI: 3.349

Cites: 59

Cited by: 2

Related to: 10