ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to provide an overview of the changing position and value of water in Southeast Asia and its role in development. It provides the main drivers for material change in water throughout the region. With modernist development and in particular shift to neoliberalism, water has increasingly been framed as a commodity that is prioritized for economic purposes and subject to profit motives. Urbanization, agriculture and industry have placed significant pressure on water resources, as reflected in estimates of freshwater withdrawals as a percentage of total renewable water resources. Dams together with river control works have not only modified flow regimes but have also led to a reduction in flood plain and wetland ecology, loss of important estuaries and a reduction in aquatic species diversity. Beyond the material changes associated with the intensification of water use and control accompanying modernist development in the region has been the discursive framing of water as a scarce resource and commodity requiring efficient use.
