Most African countries underwent water legislation reform since the 1990s, through
which existing plural legal systems were changed into nation-wide permit systems, in
which the state acts as custodian of the nation’s water resources. Although globally
heralded as the best way to manage water resources within the broader context of
Integrated Water Resource Management, this project examines the problematic
implications of the new laws for the majority of the rural and peri-urban poor. Since time