Water Grabbing: Water Contestation in the Lake Toba Area, Indonesia

Keywords: water grabbing, water justice, common-pool resource, water degradation, aquaculture, Lake Toba
Abstract Type: Virtual Paper Abstract

Abstract

Indonesia is one of the top three countries with the highest rate of green-water grabbing due to its Large-Scale Land Acquisitions (LSLAs). However, there are limited studies that focus on water-grabbing issues in Indonesia. This article delineates and explains how water-grabbing practices aggravate the pressures on Lake Toba, Indonesia, by utilizing previous studies and semi-structured interviews with the local net fishermen and the workers from the aquaculture company in Lake Toba. The evidence points out that: 1) water grabbing has aggravated the pressures on Lake Toba as a common pool resource which leads to water quality degradation; 2) there are differences among authorized agencies related to the lake’s carrying capacity, which hinder the preservation effort; and 3) competing interest on the lake’s utilization for drinking water, aquaculture, and tourism development, further complicated the problems. The authors suggested that: 1) water for the local people’s house-holds needs should be the priority in utilizing the lake; 2) there should be a consensus among the authorized agencies on the lake’s carrying capacity; and 3) further research on how to balance utilization for drinking water, aquaculture, and tourism development is timely and essential.