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The Ganges is one of the most complex yet fascinating river systems in the world. The basin is characterized by a high degree of heterogeneity from climatic, hydrological, geomorphological, cultural, environmental and socio-economic perspectives. More than 500 million people are directly or indirectly dependent upon the Ganges River Basin, which spans China, Nepal, India and Bangladesh. While there are many books covering one aspect of the Ganges, ranging from hydrology to cultural significance, The Ganges River Basin is unique in presenting a comprehensive inter-disciplinary overview of the key issues and challenges facing the region.
Contributors from the three main riparian nations assess the status and trends of water resources, including the Himalayas, groundwater, pollution, floods, drought and climate change. They describe livelihood systems in the basin, and the social, economic, geopolitical and institutional constraints, including transboundary disputes, to achieving productive, sustainable and equitable water access. Management of the main water-use sectors and their inter-linkages are reviewed, as well as the sustainability and trade-offs in conservation of natural systems and resource development such as for hydropower or agriculture.
Foreword
Ravi Chopra
Part 1: Resources and Uses
1. Introduction
Luna Bharati, Bharat Sharma and Vladimir Smakhtin
2. Surface Water Resources
Sharad Kumar Jain, Marc A. Jeuland, Luna Bharati and Zahirul Haque Khan
3. Groundwater Resources
Dipankar Saha, Anwar Zahid, Surendra Raj Shreshtha and Paul Pavelic
4. Climate Change and the Ganges Basin
Marc A. Jeuland
5. Managing Variability: Floods and Droughts
Giriraj Amarnath, A.K.M. Saiful Islam and M. S. Shrestha
6. Agriculture and Water Use: Implications for Sustainable Intensification
Bharat Sharma, Alok K. Sikka, Ram Pratap Sah and Xueliang Cai
7. Hydropower: The Status and Challenges
Dwarika N. Dhungel, Santa Bahadur Pun, Sonali Mittra and M. Monirul Qader Mirza
8. Water-Food-Energy Nexus: Challenges and Opportunities
Christopher A. Scott, Arica Crootof, Bhuwan Thapa and Rashmi Kiran Shreshtha
9. Ganges Water Machine: One Solution to Basin Water Problems?
Upali A. Amarasinghe and Lal Mutuwatte
Part 2: Environment
10. Environmental Flows: Keeping the Basin Rivers Alive
Vladimir Smakhtin and Luna Bharati
11. Ecosystem Services and Conservation Assessment of Freshwater Biodiversity
Asghar Nawab, Ravindra Kumar Sinha, Paul M. Thompson and Subodh Sharma
12. Arsenic in the Eastern Ganges Basin: Extent and Impact on Food Chain and Human Health
Rajmohan Natarajan, Dipankar Chakraborti and Sanmugam Prathapar
13. Ganges Water Quality: Dirty Past, Promising Future
Javier Mateo-Sagasta and Vinod Tare
Part 3: Governance and Livelihoods
14. Institutions and Policies Governing Water Resources Management
M. Dinesh Kumar, Dwarika N. Dhungel, M. Monirul Qader Mirza and Diana Suhardiman
15. Poverty, Inequalities and Vulnerability of the Rural Poor
Upali A. Amarasinghe, Fraser Sugden and Floriane Clement
16. Gender, Agricultural Investment and Productivity in an Era of Out-migration
Fraser Sugden, Panchali Saikia, Niki Maskey-Amatya and Paras Pokhrel
17. Can there be Progress on Transboundary Water Cooperation in the Ganges?
Mark Giordano, Dipak Gyawali, Ainun Nishat and Uttam Kumar Sinha
18. Basin Water Challenges: An Agenda for Accelerated Reform
Tushaar Shah, Prachanda Pradhan and Golam Rasul
Luna Bharati is a Senior Researcher and the Head of the Nepal Program at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). Bharat R. Sharma is Scientist Emeritus (Water Resources) at IWMI, based in New Delhi, India. Vladimir Smakhtin was Head of the Water Availability, Risk and Resilience Research Department at IWMI, Colombo, Sri Lanka. He is now the Director of the Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
"This book is a comprehensive treatment of the important aspects of the river, its basin and the millions of people inhabiting it. The scientific rigor and treatment of the varied subjects by the eminent researchers and authors from the three riparian countries – India, Nepal and Bangladesh – and those with international experience makes the chapters excellent pieces for understanding and appreciation of the complex issues related to this unique river system. I consider this book as an humble offering to the service of 'Ma Gange' and all those interested in its divinity, river science and technology, irrigation and hydropower, people, policies and governance and transboundary cooperation, and more importantly restoring its health and glory, shall find it very useful."
– From the Foreword by Ravi Chopra, People Science Institute, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
