Irrigation and water governance

Abstract Mediterranean societies are crucially dependent upon their water resources. Excessive surface water resources development and unregulated groundwater abstraction have led to an overall situation of overexploitation, except in some larger river basins fed by high mountain ranges. This chapter examines the historical development of water resources, both by the state and local communities, the limited attention to demand management, the commonplace illusion of water saving strategies in closed basins, the threat posed by climate change, and the slow evolution of state-centered modes of governance, favoring corporatization rather than democratization.