Appropriation pathways of water grabbing

The appropriation of water by farmers, land investors, mining operations, hydropower corporations, or other actors becomes controversial when it targets relatively scarce water resources that support rural livelihoods, food security, or environmental needs. Some of the distinctive institutional and hydrological conditions underlying water appropriations remain poorly understood, thus limiting the development of suitable policy and governance instruments to protect those users whose access to water is diminished by such appropriations. Research in this field has often focused on water acquisitions through land deals or infrastructure development while overlooking other more subtle pathways of water appropriation associated with pollution, land use change, afforestation, land–atmosphere feedback, irrigation efficiency, and virtual water trade. Such pathways frequently contribute to the loss of access to water by prior users, including rural communities, indigenous groups, women, and the environment, thus playing a critical role in undermining livelihoods, cultural identity, or ecosystem functions. Understanding the socio-environmental interplay between the institutional-legal and hydrological mechanism is crucial to the assessment of how different water appropriation pathways can affect prior users and their rights. Here we examine the different institutional and biophysical conditions that characterize the dynamics of water appropriation and identify the major pathways underlying water grabbing. We investigate the nexus between water tenure arrangements and neglected hydrological pathways of water appropriation to critically evaluate their impact on access to water.