River-Water-Livelihood Nexus in the Anthropocene

River-Water-Livelihood Nexus in the Anthropocene: Dialogues in Tropical Deltas explores the interconnections between river systems, water dynamics, and livelihoods in an era of increasing climatic and anthropogenic pressures. The book aims to bridge natural hazards research with Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) by examining how exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity interact within river basins and floodplains. Using interdisciplinary approaches including geographical analysis, socio-hydrological modelling, vulnerability assessment, spatial analytics (GIS and remote sensing), and participatory methods it demonstrates how disaster risk can be better mapped, understood, and managed when environmental and social dimensions are considered together.

The study also examines governance challenges in river basin management, particularly in transboundary contexts where ecological systems intersect with political boundaries. Institutional fragmentation, policy silos, and unequal power structures often constrain effective risk mitigation. In alignment with global frameworks such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Sustainable Development Goals, the book advocates integrated river basin management, ecosystem-based strategies, and community-centered adaptation.

Conceptually, the book advances the RiverWaterLivelihood Nexus as an integrative framework that links physical geography, socio-hydrology, disaster studies, and development policy. It situates disaster risk within the broader context of the Anthropocene, where human interventions such as dams, embankments, urban expansion, and land-use change actively reshape hazard regimes. Moving beyond hazard-centered perspectives, the work emphasizes vulnerability, adaptive capacity, and livelihood transformation, highlighting how risk is socially produced and unevenly distributed among river-dependent populations. By combining natural science, social science, and policy perspectives, the book offers practical and policy-relevant insights for strengthening resilience and promoting sustainable riverine development in an increasingly uncertain hydro-climatic environment.

Introduces the River-Water-Livelihood Nexus merging hydrology, geomorphology, social vulnerability, and development Integrates socio-hydrology, GIS, and vulnerability analysis to advance interdisciplinary disaster risk reduction Merges multi-hazard assessment with livelihood vulnerability analysis, emphasizing resilience and socio-economic change

Autorentext

Aznarul Islam completed his M.Sc. in Geography at the University of Kalyani and his M.Phil. and Ph.D. at the University of Burdwan, West Bengal, India. He has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, Aliah University, Kolkata, since 2016 and previously served as Officiating Head of the Department. He has published over 90 research papers, including more than 70 SCI articles, and has supervised Ph.D. research in geomorphology, hydrology, and disaster management. He is a recipient of the Humboldt Research Fellowship and has led and contributed to several national and international research projects.

Nasrin Banu completed her M.A. (2009) and Ph.D. (2015) in Geography at Aligarh Muslim University, India. Since 2017, she has been engaged in teaching and research at the Department of Geography, Aliah University, Kolkata. Her research interests include livelihood, health, and gender issues. She is a recipient of the Young Geographer Awards (2016, 2021) and a UGC PostDoctoral Fellowship, and currently leads and contributes to several ICSSR and ISPFICSSR international research projects.

Sk Ajim Ali holds a Ph.D. from Aligarh Muslim University and is currently a Research Associate affiliated with the Global Development Institute, The University of Manchester, UK. He has published over 60 papers on geospatial modeling and geohazard vulnerability. His research interests include disaster management, climate change, and public health. He is the author of two textbooks on remote sensing and Quantum GIS and the editor of a CRC Press volume on climate change and disadvantaged communities.

Inhalt

Changing River Systems under Anthropogenic and Climate Stress.- Altered Flow Regimes: Dams, Barrages, and Hydraulic Infrastructure.- Compound and Cascading Risks in Modified River Systems.- Climate Change and Hydro Climatic Extremes in River Basins.- Channel Morphodynamics Erosion, Avulsion, and Sediment Flux Changes.- Sand Mining, Riverbed Degradation, and Ecological Instability.