Seeing—and tasting—is believing: A qualitative study of communities living along the Philippines’ bustling Marikina River underscores the importance of taking into account local peoples’ everyday experiences, practices, and perceptions in establishing water quality.
Anthropologists Gideon Lasco of the Ateneo de Manila University’s Development Studies Program and Anita Hardon of Wageningen University’s Knowledge, Technology, and Innovation Group undertook a four-month exploration of human-water relations in communities along the Marikina River. They followed the river upstream, interviewing water drinkers, distributors, and regulators from low- and middle-income groups. Their research is published in the journal Human Organization.
