Developmentalities of Mining for Poverty Reduction: Water for Profit or Water for Life?

Abstract

Based on the premise that water is a central component of poverty reduction, this paper uses post-development theory in conjunction with Michel Foucault's concepts of power/knowledge, discourse and governmentality to critically analyse the concept of mining-led economic growth for poverty reduction owing to the adverse impacts of mining on water supplies. Using Namibia as a case study, this research illustrates how a number of international organisations such as the World Bank, the IMF and the African Development Bank have encouraged so-called 'developing' countries to undertake large industrial projects which supposedly contribute to economic growth, based on the neoliberal assumption that economic growth contributes to poverty reduction. Mining, in particular, is one of these industrial projects assumed to contribute to economic growth and therefore poverty reduction. Within a context of increasing global water scarcity and intra-state inequality, however, the concept of 'mining for poverty reduction' seems somewhat of a contradiction. As the case study of Namibia illustrates, the adoption of this economic growth model of development by the Namibian Government and its associated 'mining for poverty reduction' imperative, has in actual fact exacerbated inequality by reducing the access of the poor to potable water in three ways: (1) through the commodification and commercialisation of water supplies which is considered necessary to the creation of an enabling environment for foreign private investment by mining companies; (2) through the consumption of vast quantities of water for mineral processing; and (3) through the pollution of remaining water supplies by chemicals used in the leaching process. Furthermore, the findings of this research show that these issues are exacerbated by weak environmental legislation in Namibia. It is arguable, therefore, that the inaccessibility of the poor to water in Namibia is a violation of fundamental human rights. The reliance on desalination as the technological 'fix' to the issue of water scarcity is also evaluated. Finally, this research critically analyses the role of 'participation', arguing that, rather than enhancing the voices of those who are adversely affected by water inaccessibility, the word 'participation' has instead been used to manufacture legitimacy for mining operations in the country.