Caring for Water: Public Participation and Possibilities for Care in Swedish Water Management

Abstract: The aim of this study is to investigate how technocratic water management is affecting the possibilities of the public to participate in decision-making and care for their local waters. This was investigated during the consultation process regarding the draft River Basin Management Plan and Program of Measures for the years 2021-2027 in the Bothnian Sea Water District in Sweden. The analytical framework consists of hydro-social research, a critical examination of the technocratic management of nature (including its historical origin, its connection to ecological modernization, and its view of public participation), and decolonial and ecofeminist theory. The methods used are participant observation, conversational interview, and document analysis. The results show that the forms of participation offered during the consultation process favoured professionals and actors of resource-strong organizations. Those who lacked informational advantages and those who did not speak the same technical language as the Water Authority were excluded from decision-making. Technocratic water management made it difficult for people to care for their local waters. Ecological modernization, which technocratic water management is a part of favours continued capitalist economic growth instead of sustainability and care. Relational care is proposed as an alternative to technocratic management to enable justice, democracy, care, and more-than-human flourishing.