Vulnerability to the Ganges Water Diversion: Adaptation and Coping Mechanisms

Abstract

Diversion of water from the Ganges River through major engineering structures has caused significant environmental effects in the downstream and upstream parts of the basin. In Bangladesh, major impacts are observed in: water supply, river morphology and regulation, navigation, salinity, forestry and ecosystems, agriculture and land degradation and fishery. However, areas (upstream and downstream) adjacent to the Farakka Barrage are also impacted by the increased flood hazards, reduction in fisheries and erosion. Water diversion through the Farakka Feeder Canal to the Bhagirathi-Hooghly River (Figure 12.1) positively benefited Kolkata Port by increasing draft for vessels. Water supply to the Kolkata City has also improved. Table 12.1 summarizes the impacts of diversion on various sectors in the upstream and downstream areas of the Ganges River. Various environmental and economic sectors are exposed to natural hydro-climatic variations in the Ganges basin. However, previous chapters and Table 12.1 demonstrates that diversion of the Ganges water over a long period of time has created incremental vulnerability. People in the Ganges basin are usually resilient and are adapted to natural hydro-climatic variability but additional stress caused by human intervention has pushed human and natural systems in many cases to go beyond their coping range. This chapter addresses vulnerability and adaptation and coping mechanisms in the Ganges basin in Bangladesh and India with regard to water diversion. Section 2 discusses the concept of vulnerability and adaptation in the special situation of water diversion. Section 3 discusses the incremental vulnerability caused by water diversion. Section 4 synthesizes various adaptation and coping mechanisms adopted and proposed to minimize impacts and vulnerability. Section 5 discusses the cost of adaptation. Concluding remarks are presented in Section 6. 247