Assessing Adaptive Capacity - Climate Change and Water Governance: Adaptive Capacity in Chile and Switzerland - page 275

Chile Switzerland

Expertise : Multiple
forms and
disciplines of
expertise
contributing to
water related
decisions.

Court responsibility for resolving water conflicts result in
judgements that steer the course of water management
(ref Supreme Court decision on Factor de Uso). Local/
regional judges may lack water specific expertise,
leading to bad decisions and causing actors to
circumvent the official process where possible. Level
of technical expertise is high in water science, but
ability to inform decision making and management
from technical perspective is obstructed.
Technification of water management in irrigation in
the basin is mainly traditional (e.g. Bocatoma;
irrigation efficiency; measuring/monitoring of canals;
reliance on 'culture of water' rather than professional
water management training). At government level,
technical expertise is limited to hydrology and
economics, no focus on public policy.

Scope to improve technification in agricultural sector,
farmers are increasingly part time, impacting
traditional associations for management of
irrigation right; at local level, commune presidents
may assume responsibility for water management
decisions, presiding over the post for short periods
and on part time basis; certain water management
responsibilities at local level ( gefahrenkarte ,
sanierung etc.) and canton level (NAQUA
monitoring) tend to be outsourced to private
engineering consultancies (though water suppliers
have in house expertise as well) with the requisite
expertise to work on the project in conjunction
with the specialist cantonal department.

Secularism/
Independence :
Separation of
political and
technical facets
for neutrality and
continuity in water
governance.

Lack of independence and political secularism of scholars
and experts informing water governance (collusions of
World Bank, Neo-liberal politicians, economic
agenda, financial contributions etc.). Operational/
technical expertise at the regional level more
functional than at the central political level.

Administrative departments involved with water
management at canton and commune are not
political appointees, but professional positions that
remain in posts despite political outcomes. In
commune councils elected officials constitute the
political group and technical staff the service
group for both watercourse management and
provision; changes in legal framework are subject
to or initiated by a broader range of stakeholder
due to the direct democratic process.

(continued)