by Susanne Fleischli, Aux Etangs

On February 5 this year a judgement was delivered in the century-old dispute over the waters of the Cauvery River in southern India. The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal laid down the amount of water that each of the riparian states is allowed to withdraw from the river every year. Water scarcity is a recurring phenomenon in the region caused by increasing demand from agriculture, a growing population, urbanization and industrialization, coupled with reduced and irregular rainfall. The upper riparian state of Karnataka and the downstream state of Tamil Nadu have therefore been squabbling over the allocation and use of the Cauvery waters for years. An interim order of the Tribunal in 1991 resulted in violent clashes between Tamils and Kannadigas in which over 50 people lost their lives.

The Cauvery dispute is illustrative of how gender plays a significant role in the way people are affected by an environmental conflict and how they are involved in conflict management. The gendered division of labour determines who carries out tasks relating to the disputed resource. The Cauvery river dispute affects both genders more or less equally in terms of agricultural activities. In the household, however, women are the ones who carry out the majority of tasks that require water. They are therefore more affected by water scarcity than men. The conflict also has a gender-specific impact due to the religious and cultural connotations of water as a natural resource. The Cauvery River is revered as a mother and goddess. For women, therefore, it holds a special function by providing them with identity, succour and protection. The dispute consequently prevents women more than men from living their cultural and religious traditions.
As in other conflicts, here too gender has influenced the type of violence characterizing the dispute. During the clashes rape was employed as a tool to destroy the dignity of women and shame the men. The prevailing perception of feminity, where the dignity and purity of the woman is paramount, is a key factor.

Conflict management during the Cauvery dispute has involved mainly men, with just a few women representatives. These few women occupy hardly any important positions and seldom participate in the debate. The passivity that is ascribed to women is used as an excuse for not involving them, which further reinforces their under-representation.

The award of the Tribunal has not put an end to the Cauvery dispute. The government of Karnataka plans to appeal against the judgement and protests are taking place practically on a daily basis. Cinema owners in Karnataka are no longer showing Tamil films and women demonstrate on the streets with empty water containers on their heads. However, it is doubtful that gender will be accorded greater importance in conflict management in the future. The Cauvery case illustrates that only a comprehensive conflict analysis – one which takes gender into account – can result in equitable and sustainable conflict management. Gender-sensitive management strategies can help ensure a greater involvement of all stakeholders.

Susanne Fleischli has been working with swisspeace on gender issues in environmental conflict and is currently working at Aux Etangs in Freiburg, Switzerland. For more information, please contact Susanne.fleischli@gmx.ch

Published in: ECC-Newsletter, Special Issue "Gender, Environment, Conflict"