As you are already aware, water systems may cover quite a large region, for instance the whole catchment area of a river. This means that stakeholders can come from a large area as well. In this section we will introduce stakeholders in small towns and rural areas from past to present, and the conflicting interests that are specific to them.

Historically, local communities have shaped water systems and used them according to their needs and interests. However, as rural communities adopted technologies and moved to the cities, they forgot the knowledge and skills to use water for their benefit.

The locals who currently reside in these areas still depend on water; interested stakeholders claiming water have increased in time. This has resulted in conflicts in preserving waterworks.

Let’s look at the Turkey and China case studies from the last module in this particular context.