Mobilization of bias: learning from drought and flood crises in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Jakarta

ABSTRACT

This article examines water crises in three megacities (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Jakarta) in the Global South. While crises can delegitimize the dominant water policy and lead to policy change, this does not necessarily come about in all cases. Drawing data from key informant interviews, newspaper articles and policy documents, and using Steven Lukes’ three faces of power framework, we observe how crisis framing has reinforced large infrastructures for water supply and flood protection. In the three case studies, powerful actors combined the three faces of power to shape public opinion in pursuit of their own agendas.

KEYWORDS:

• Water crisis
• power
• large hydraulic infrastructure
• São Paulo
• Rio de Janeiro
• Jakarta

Acknowledgments

The idea for this article emerged from a British Council-FAPESP workshop on Urban Water Security in Brazil: From Infrastructure to Social Action (360/FAPESP, grant numbers 2018/50088-5). Therefore, we are grateful for the opportunity to develop this research collaboration.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. According to the United Nations (2018), water stress is defined as ‘the ratio of total freshwater withdrawn by all major sectors to the total renewable freshwater resources.’ As such, ‘high water stress indicates substantial use of water resources, with larger impacts on resource sustainability, and the potential for conflicts among users’ (United Nations, 2018, p. 71).

2. The term is used to designate the minimum volume after which water can no longer be withdrawn by the usual methods.

3. During the negotiations, Rio de Janeiro, as compensation, gained the right to use part of the technical reserve of one of the largest reservoirs in the Paraíba do Sul system.

4. In addition to these groups, the artisanal fishers and the energy sector were also affected by some decisions. For a detailed description, see Quintslr (2018).

Additional information

Funding

This work was also supported by the International Water Security Network at the University of the West of England; the Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) (under Grant E-26/010.002461/2019); and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES).