Intersectional Water Insecurity of Farmers on the Delhi Floodplains

Abstract

In the heart of Delhi, the capital of India, the severely polluted Yamuna River saw its water level rise to the highest in 45 years in July 2023, displacing over 27,000 people. Despite flood control measures and river rejuvenation plans, which include creating biodiversity parks, these efforts overlook the displacement and erasure of small-scale farmers, highlighting critical issues of intersectional power dynamics and socioecological impacts. Water shapes societies, and its control reflects broader sociopolitical power dynamics, influencing democracy, citizenship, and development. An environmental justice focus addresses the relationality and context of socioecological dimensions, highlighting how power and inequality intersect with environmental issues, emphasizing the need for nuanced, inclusive policies. In Delhi’s Yamuna floodplains, intersecting identities among farmers reveal complex issues of vulnerability and power. This is analyzed through qualitative interviews, secondary data, and ethnographic field notes. The study has two major findings.

• 1.

Belonging, citizenship, and state–society relations are shaped by intersectional differences, challenging the assumption that dispossession affects communities uniformly.

2.

Local farmers adapt to floods using informal knowledge, a vital yet overlooked resource. Integrating their lived experience into formal planning can enhance flood resilience and foster inclusive management of Delhi’s floodplains.

Water insecurities on Delhi’s Yamuna floodplains highlight how intersecting social categories of power shape unequal experiences, making environmental justice and social inequality deeply intertwined. Addressing these issues requires an intersectional approach to water management that incorporates the voices of marginalized farmers and tackles the sociopolitical dimensions of water insecurity.