Sources

Dhobi Ghat

Laundry services

  The Dhobighat community downstream of Mussoorie provides laundering services to the upstream town’s schools, hotels and government institutions. Washing is done along a natural stream which flows through the settlement, first inhabited by the dhobi (washing) community over 80 years ago. The livelihood of the dhobi community depends on clean, fast-running water. In recent times, they have been asked by local government to “share” their stream with other nearby settlements. This has given rise to a decline in water flow to the community, as well a breakdown in communal water-collection activities, disrupting both physical flows and social interactions. With youth out-migration and the advent of mechanised washing machines, the demand for washing services is declining, so these livelihoods look increasingly vulnerable.

Political and Social

Water is not just physical systems

The delivery of water is not just about the construction of physical systems, but also creating suitable social and political infrastructures that can support the appropriation, management and distribution of resources to people. Creating water management systems that are environmentally sustainable and socially just requires the inclusion, participation and representation of all social layers. During May 2017, Nepal held its first local council elections in almost twenty years. At Dhulikhel, water provision to all areas of the town is a highly political issue, with candidates campaigning and competing on this issue to secure the votes of their constituents. Water politics did influence the outcome – a new mayor was elected who is committed to locally sourcing affordable water for town residents through low intervention...

Himalayas to Ocean

Stories of change along the Gandaki River

Himalayas to Ocean (H2O) is the story of communities, climate change, and the transformative power of water.  In the shadow of Everest looms the threat of anthropogenic climate change, a force that stands to forever alter the confluence of people and place in the Himalayas. Himalayas to Ocean is a multimedia project and expedition. In September 2017, expedition members set out to trace the role of water from the world’s highest peaks to low-lands valleys through the places and communities most strikingly sculpted by it. Along the way, personal accounts were collected of the communities and cultures experiencing change at the water’s edge.  We are an Environmental Change Institute (University of Oxford) affiliated project, and partner with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development...

Bagmati River Project

Kathmandus Holy River

Alberto Rey was approached to consider doing a  project about the Bagmati River that flows though the middle of Kathmandu, Nepal. The Bagmati is the most sacred river in Nepal and yet it is also the most polluted. Alberto was excited about starting a new environmental project in Asia and about working with a region with several UNESCO heritage sites and a community with a rich cultural heritage. After initial discussions with professionals, museum staff and community members in Kathmandu, it was clear that there was a great deal of interest in having me starting the new project investigating the Bagmati River. Alberto was granted a residency at the Kathmandu Contemporary Arts Center a few months later, and my research began in earnest. Jason Dilworth,...