Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna Waters Advances in Development and Management

Once a prosperous region, the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) river basin—inhabited by about a tenth of the world’s population—is currently one of the poorest. Large-scale socioeconomic development is urgently needed to ensure the sustainability of the region, and the management of water resources is a crucial part of this. Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna Waters: Advances in Development and Management discusses water resource development and management issues related to the GBM river basin, including interactions, institutional set ups, and future perspectives. It also proposes several novel technologies, developed by the author, to help revolutionize the development of India’s waters. Written by an authority in water resource management studies, the book addresses the need for a holistic, integrated, basin-wide approach to improve the quality of life for people living within the region. Pointing out that water does not recognize political boundaries, the text also discusses Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan as integral parts of the GBM basin. The author suggests that the unique geophysical and hydrologic characteristics of the basin present an opportunity for technologies that can increase the available water and hydroelectric potential in the region. The proposed advances can also help generate collaborative development between India and its neighboring countries. The book emphasizes the adoption of a societal-environmental systems management approach, which treats the physical and social-environmental systems as integral components, backed by participatory transparent modeling. It also argues that technology must be considered a key part of the system. A unique contribution to water resources engineering, this book provides readers with a case study of the development and management of the world’s largest water system. It offers new perspectives and useful advice for other countries and regions developing river and irrigation plans and for policy makers involved in large-scale water resources engineering.

PART I SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS IntroductionIntroductionOverviewNotes System Environmental CharacteristicsIntroductionLocation and Physical GeographyPhysiography and GeologyClimate and HydrologyHydro SystemGeohydrologyLand and SoilsFauna and Flora Socioeconomic SceneIntroductionPolitical GeographyHistorical PerspectivePopulationIndependence and Present Scene—IndiaSociopolitical Perspective—BangladeshSociopolitical Perspective—NepalSociopolitical Perspective—BhutanEconomic SceneNote PART II CURRENT DEVELOPMENT POLICY AND STATE Environmental Management—Historical PerspectiveIntroductionHistorical Perspective—Pre-British SceneBritish PeriodWater Resources DevelopmentLandForests Developments in Nepal and BhutanIntroductionNepalBhutan Post-Independence Development—IndiaIntroductionWaterLandFauna and FloraEnvironmental ManagementConclusion Environmental Management in BangladeshIntroductionCountry ContextEnvironmental SceneEnvironmental and Water ManagementWater Resources DevelopmentFlood ManagementWater Resources Management in Bangladesh: Steps toward a New National Water Plan (NNWP)Structure for Future National Water Management SystemService SectorsArsenic ChallengeEnvironmental ManagementVulnerability to Climate ChangeManagement in Long-Term PerspectiveConclusionNotes Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan InteractionIntroductionIndo-Nepal InterrelationIndo-Bhutan InteractionIndo-Bangladesh InteractionIntroductionIndo-Bangladesh RelationsIndo-Bangladesh Waters—Official InteractionsAugmentation ProposalsDevelopments from 1987OverviewNote Institutional SetupIntroductionPre-British PeriodBritish PeriodPost-British Period—IndiaBangladeshInternational Institutional InteractionSome Perspectives and Institutional and Cultural RevolutionConclusionNotes PART III PROPOSED REVOLUTIONARY POLICY Current Scene and Official Future PerceptionsIntroductionDomestic Water Supply and SanitationAgriculture Demand and Agricultural TransformationRural TransformationManufacturing and IndustrializationConservation of the Environment and WaterChallenge of Managing the Waters—A PerspectiveManagement of Environmental SystemClimate ChangeConclusionNote Revolutionizing the Development and Management of Water— Conceptual and Policy IssuesIntroductionDevelopment of Water—Historical PerspectiveIntegrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)Societal–Environmental Systems Issues and ManagementSocietal–Environmental Systems Management (SESM) with Focus on WaterSocietal–Environmental Systems Management Principle Implications for Management of WaterSystems PlanningScenario AnalysisSome Advances in Modeling TechnologyStudy of Changes in Land Use and Land CoverManagement for Climate ChangeSustainable Development—Third World Perspective and ChallengeEnvironment, Development, and ParticipationDams—A Scientific PerspectiveWorld’s First Anti-Dam Movement and India’s Societal ResponseInstitutional Issues—Culture MattersSummaryNotesAppendix 1: The National Water MissionSoil Erosion and Its Management Revolutionizing the Environmental Management of the GBM BasinIntroductionDevelopment ObjectiveSome Novel Technologies for Development of GBM WatersEmphasizing Some Unique Contributions of the Proposed Revolutionary TechnologiesEstimate of Water Availability RevolutionOverview of GBM DevelopmentIntegrated Development of GBM BasinSome Specific IssuesGroundwater ManagementSocietal–Environmental Systems ManagementScientific Management of Water—Some Basic PerspectivesGBM Systems PlanningPerspective—Societal–Environmental Systems ManagementRevolutionizing the ManagementModernization of the Spectrum of ActivitiesCulture MattersConclusionNotes Total Integrated Development of GBM—Policy and ImplementationIntroductionRationale for Considering Total Integrated GBM DevelopmentNepal—Characteristics and ChallengesBangladesh—Characteristics and ChallengesAssessment of the Current Official ProposalsDealing with Dynamics of Delta ConfigurationScientific Management of GBM—Environmental Systems PerspectiveNew International Perspective of GBM BasinImplementation of Integrated Development of GBM BasinConclusionNotes ConclusionsNotes References Index

Dr. Chaturvedi is a globally recognized pioneer of water resources engineering. He has designed and has been on the board of consultants of major Himalayan projects in India. He was the Founder Head, Department of Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and, later, Department of Applied Mechanics at IIT Delhi, where he became Dean (research). Upon retirement from IIT Delhi in 1985, he joined the Planning Commission, Government of India until leaving for the United States to join the University of Texas, Austin in 1989. He has also led collaborations in the United States, Sweden, the former Soviet Union, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Dr. Chaturvedi is a unique combination of professional engineer and academician. He has been identified as a Distinguished Alumni of his alma mater, the University of Iowa. He has been associated with Harvard University for many years and is a founding member and fellow of the IWRA and a fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering. Dr. Chaturvedi and his wife, (late) Professor Vipula Chaturvedi, have established the Vipula and Mahesh Chaturvedi Foundation, providing support for research that advances science and the human condition.