Unconventional Waters
GloNeW Project: Global Development and the Contradictions of New Water
About the project
Why we need social science research on unconventional water
Emerging ‘unconventional’ or ‘new’ water resources—such as seawater desalination and wastewater reuse—are reshaping development pathways in the context of escalating global water crises. As climate change, urbanisation, growing demand, and a host of other pressures place unprecedented strain on conventional water sources, governments and private actors are increasingly turning to high-technology, energy-intensive water solutions. This raises important questions about how people are accessing water, who is making the decisions, and who can afford to pay for such water. These are particularly in places where water infrastructure and access to basic services is unequal and uneven.
Desalination, which involves the removal of salt and impurities from seawater or brackish water, is often positioned as a game changer and potential solution to water crisis. A social science understanding of this phenomenon is necessary because the use of desalination is not just a technical fix; it is deeply embedded in political, economic, and social relations. It shapes and is shaped by governance structures, financial logics, values, and power — dimensions that engineering and environmental sciences alone cannot adequately explain.
The use of desalination is expanding rapidly in the Global South, although this is occurring in specific contexts, not everywhere. The GloNeW team are conducting research on the social, political and economic dimensions of desalination in Kenya, South Africa and Morocco.
Ultimately, the GloNeW team seek to rethink how water crises are understood and addressed in the twenty-first century. By critically interrogating the promises and contradictions of unconventional water, the project contributes new insights to debates on sustainable development, climate adaptation, and the future of essential infrastructure in an increasingly unequal world.
