Habitus and vulnerability: a theoretical dialogue to manage the water rationing

Abstract

Social inequalities in urban areas are exacerbated in contexts of water crisis. The tandeo of the water service –which refers to the intermittent access to the liquid for days or for hours- is an expression of inequality, because it affects specific groups of the population in terms of health and life. This article presents a theoretical proposal to understand and to manage tandeo (water rationing), based on the integration of two concepts: vulnerability and habitus. This theoretical approach integrates two discussions: one from climate change studies and the second from sociology. With the concept of habitus of socio-hydric vulnerability (made up of three dimensions: perceived exposure, class sensitivity and practices of adaptive capacity) the social complexity of the situation of tandeo is analyzed so that the findings could lay to the five criteria of the Human Right to Water.