The Chilean Case: Rethinking water governance in extreme climate scenarios, from private property to public good

• In Event: Common Challenges in Nature: Australia and Latin American Commons, Ecology and Governability

Abstract

Around the world, we witness the adverse effects of climate change and altered water cycles, the new normal. These changes have exacerbated conflicts and protests over equal access to water for subsistence, mainly in rural areas. The new normal significantly impacts the water governance systems and how people interact within the current legal water framework. In this scenario, Chile is undergoing a process to reform its water regulatory system to be more democratic. This transition in the water sector marks a shift from a neoliberal framework to one that combines local decisions with social, cultural, and environmental aspects. Through case study research in the rural Chilean community of Petorca, it examines people's aspirations, frustrations, and dreams concerning their access to water. It also explores how they understand the challenges, complexities, and changes in Chilean water governance during extreme weather events. Furthermore, the research investigates the impacts of their exclusion on their daily lives and the ongoing process of adjusting the nation's regulatory water system, which generates a legitimacy deficit in water governance. This transition presents an alternative perspective to the global trend. Most change processes for water regulation move from public to private ownership. Thus, this transition is an exception to current theory, given that most water regulation change processes move in the opposite direction. The climate crisis is also driving this debate on a global scale

Author

• Pablo A Aranda Valenzuela, The University of Queensland