The Brahmaputra’s riparian: the communities, culture, conflicts, and collaborations
Ananya Malik
Research intern at MRC
Rivers hold a special significance as they have constructed and deconstructed civilizations, apart from being an essential element for survival. There is also a sense of longing among the ones who have lived away from the river, their memories of childhood along the river, the river fills them with nostalgia, homesickness. This often signifying the everlasting bond between the river and its people, and the integral nature of the river in the lives of its people. The meandering and shifting river find its association with the people, spanning from the public (leisure to livelihood) to private (domestic water use).
Brahmaputra is one of the major rivers in Asia originating from China inflowing to India and Bangladesh while its basin also including Bhutan. It is a converted source of water for China, India and Bangladesh for variety of purposes ranging from livelihoods, fisheries, agriculture, hydropower and navigation making this river very important to the fast-growing economies of this region. India shares the second largest basin of Brahmaputra River, spread over states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Sikkim. Brahmaputra has a drainage area of 1944 13 square kilometre, nearly 5.9% of total geographical area of the country.
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Ananya Malik
Research intern at MRC
She is an associate at MRC. Her research involves geopolitical, social and ecological analysis of transboundary waters particularly Brahmaputra river. She is an alumnus of TERI where she did her masters in water science and governance. Her other research areas include climate risk, water security and carbon finance.