ABSTRACT
The prevailing water management paradigm: One of the main interests of the case study, and of the transdisciplinary perspective presented in this book, is to provide new insights on more general debates related to water policy. First, the complexity of local water issues questions the prevailing “state-engineering paradigm” which has contributed to the implementation of specific technical systems (in Europe and United States) characterized by a uniform and universal model of distribution and treatment of urban potable water (Cf. Chapter 1). This “public-private” distribution model is typically presented as the best (or even the only) way to implement the objective of “water for everyone”. The model implements a “supply network” over a territory and managed by an operator, and requires very specific skills in terms of administration and engineering, such that water management now constitutes an area of study that blurs the distinctions between science, action and expertise. Meanwhile, the legitimacy of this model is reinforced by public teaching institutions, research and development services, private enterprise, and consultancy companies (Bakker 2005).
