Entanglement with Water in a Social-Ecological System in Transition: An Ethnographic Inquiry in the Kole Wetlands of Kerala, India

Abstract (English)

In contemporary environmental discourse, water is increasingly conceptualised not merely as a passive natural resource but as an active agent intricately interwoven into the socio-material and political dynamics of communities. This paper draws upon an interdisciplinary framework encompassing political ecology (Robbins, 2012), hydro-social studies (Linton & Budds, 2014), and more-than-human ethnography (Tsing, 2015; de la Cadena & Blaser, 2018) to elucidate the notion of entanglement with water, thereby facilitating an understanding of the fluid and dynamic interrelations among people, ecology, infrastructure, and institutional structures. By reframing water as a co-constitutive element rather than a mere object subject to human management, this analytical approach foregrounds the ongoing practices, meanings, and negotiations that shape social and ecological realities.
The Kole wetlands, located in central Kerala in India, and recognised as a Ramsar agro-wetland system, serve as an exemplary case study for examining these entanglements. A complex social ecological system, the Kole region is marked by its seasonal hydrology, intensive rice-fish cultivation systems combined with allied livelihoods, and intricate governance frameworks. In the face of escalating pressures from climate change, hydrological interventions, urban encroachment, and policy shifts, the wetlands are experiencing significant ecological and socio-economic transitions. While prior research has predominantly focused on biophysical and agronomic aspects (Sreeja et al., 2017; Gopakumar, 2014), this study adopts an ethnographic lens to explore how local communities navigate, conceptualise, and adapt to the transforming waterscape.
Drawing upon one year of fieldwork conducted from 2018 to 2019, which included participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and walking ethnographies with farmers, fishers, irrigation engineers, bureaucrats, and women’s self-help groups, this research investigates the everyday politics surrounding water. It scrutinises how the temporalities of water—encompassing monsoon rhythms, flooding cycles, and irrigation schedules—are intricately embedded in livelihoods, rituals, and collective memory. By engaging with the concept of hydro-social territories (Boelens et al., 2016), the paper posits that the transitions occurring within the Kole wetlands cannot be adequately understood without considering the relational, affective, and contested dimensions of water-worlds. Furthermore, it highlights the necessity for a more grounded, culturally informed, and justice-oriented approach to water governance in socio-ecological systems undergoing rapid transformation.