Climate change and changing water practices in Malawi

: an ethnographic study

Abstract

Despite Malawi witnessing intensive impacts of climate change, there has been little interest on the adaptive capacities of communities, particularly around water. While there has been research on the impacts of climate on water, the focus has mostly centred on agricultural practices. Additionally, research attention has been given to the effectiveness of Water User Associations (WUAs) within climate-impacted communities, mainly from the perspectives of expert users and managers of water, leaving out the voice of the common person in the climate discourse. This research aimed to address this gap by placing communities at the centre of the climate crisis in Malawi. Rather than viewing water solely as a biological material with functions within sanitation and agriculture, this study emphasised its integral role in the lives of local communities.

The main objective of the research was to understand the impacts of climate change on water practices in Malawi. Within this main objective, other objectives included understanding the evolving nature of human-water relationships and documenting the drivers behind such changes, along with their resulting impacts. Further, by exploring the effects of climate change on water practices, the research sought to gain insights into the adaptative strategies employed by communities in response to these impacts. Ultimately, the goal was to identify potential ways to support and enhance the communities’ capacity to adapt effectively to the challenges posed by the climate crisis.

The research was framed within the ecology of knowledges approach which advocates for a reconciliation of indigenous and other knowledges. To effectively conduct the study, an ethnographic approach grounded in the Malawian – and predominantly sub-Saharan African – ethic of Ubuntu (I am because you are) was adopted. This research framework utilised participant observation as the main method of collecting data. Over a period of 9 months, I conducted observations in Mulanje and Blantyre districts. The observations were complemented by interviews and focus group discussions with community members.

The research findings established that communities in Malawi are experiencing changes in water practices due to the impacts of climate change. Notably, heatwaves, erratic rainfall and frequent cyclones were established as visible indicators of climate change. However, not all of these changes were exclusively attributed to climate change. Some communities interpreted these changes through a religious lens, considering them as indicative of the end of the world (the return of Jesus). Other communities, even if acknowledging the changes as resulting from climate change, expressed that the subject has been taken up by the global North to control communities in the global South.

The research findings reveal that, in response to the climate impacts, communities in Malawi are increasingly adopting water technologies, such as abstracting water from high areas through pipes. However, at communal level, these water technologies promote water and social injustices by favouring individuals with the resources and often advantaging men. As a way of countering this while promoting water conservation, the research has explored possibilities of water management approaches that are grounded within the Ubuntu ethic in which emphasis is on fair use and protection of water resources. The research has pushed against the increased commodification of water that is also happening at national level as a way of adapting to climate impacts on water sources. The commodification, as the research has indicated, promotes social harms and equally creates a metabolic rift that leads to ecological collapse. Instead, a democratic, multi-sectoral water management that integrates indigenous knowledge and traditional development structures is proposed as one of the ways of supporting communities to manage water.

Date of Award	18 Dec 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Abertay University
Supervisor	Wallace McNeish (Supervisor), Daniel Gilmour (Supervisor) & Ashley Rogers (Supervisor)