Water Tenure in Highland Watersheds of Northern Thailand: Tragedy of the Commons or Successful Management of Complexity?

In recent years, Thailand has faced serious water problems, such as water shortages in the dry season, flooding during the rainy season and pollution with agrochemicals and industrial waste. Agriculture is the main user of available water resources and accounts for 70% of the water demand. Whereas traditionally irrigation in Thailand has been supplementary during the rainy season, water is now increasingly used for irrigation during the dry season. However, other sectors are continuously increasing their share in the withdrawal of water resources. The management of water resources is characterized by institutional and legal pluralism, responsibilities being shared among as much as eight different ministries, divided into more than 30 ministerial departments (Sethaputra et al. 2001).