Rivers Unbound

Exploring Social Currents, Legal Tides, and Stories of Flow

Ananth Padmanabhan, Nabeela Siddiqui, Gnana Sanga Mithra S

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781040428160
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Global Development Studies
• Index: Social Sciences

Rivers have long been the lifeblood of civilizations, shaping landscapes, sustaining livelihoods, and serving as silent witnesses to the unfolding narratives of human history. From the Indus to the Ganges, the Nile to the Amazon, rivers have defined communities, facilitated commerce, and inspired cultural and spiritual traditions. However, in an era marked by climate change, geopolitical tensions, and environmental degradation, rivers are increasingly sites of contestation— over access, governance, and rights. The interplay of social currents, legal tides, and ecological imperatives calls for a multidisciplinary approach to understanding and managing these vital water bodies. Rivers Unbound: Exploring Social Currents, Legal Tides, and Stories of Flow emerges from the International Conference on Rivers 2024, where scholars, policymakers, legal experts, environmentalists, and community advocates convened to engage in critical discourse on the challenges and possibilities of river governance.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• About the Editors
• Rivers Unbound Background Paper
• 1 Securing Water, Empowering Women: A Study of ‘Jal Saheli’ and ‘Pani Panchayat’ as Water Conservation Models in Drought-Prone Bundelkhand
• 2 Comparative Analysis of Legal Responses to Industrial Pollution of Rivers: Strategies for Mitigating Environmental Impacts Across Asian Countries with Special Reference to India
• 3 (Geopolitical) Water: Sovereignty, Equity, and The Limits of Global Water Governance Frameworks
• 4 The Role of International Law in Water Governance Between India and China
• 5 The Role of Narratives in the India-China Water Dispute
• 6 Indigenous Voices in River Conservation: Legal Barriers and Pathways in India
• 7 Re-shaping Hydro-diplomacy: India's Role in South Asian Water Politics
• 8 Clean Water as a Fundamental Human Right in India: Challenges and Solutions
• 9 Assessing the Role of Self-Help Groups in Empowering Single Mothers through River-based Livelihoods in Chennai
• 10 Rivers of Justice: Navigating Maritime Arbitration Practices in India
• 11 Flowing Beyond Binaries: Exploring Gender Fluidity and Identity through Trans-ecology
• 12 From Anthropocentrism to Ecocentrism: The Legal Journey of the Asia-Pacific Region and Indian Judiciary's Tryst with Rights of Rivers
• 13 Navigating the Legal and Political Currents of the Mahadayi Dispute
• 14 Kaptai Dam as the Lake of Tears: An Injustice to the Jummas' Rights
• 15 Liminal Spaces and Riverine Lives: Third-Space Theory in The Boatman of the Padma
• 16 Alternate Dispute Resolution in Water Conflicts with Special Reference to India: Navigating Rights and Resources
• 17 Enhancing India's Legal Framework for Transboundary Water Governance: The Role of Spatial Overlap Assessment in Policy Scaling
• 18 Leveraging ESG Principles for Effective Mitigation of Urban Water Pollution in Bangalore
• 19 Teesta River Diplomacy: Challenges and Opportunities in Transboundary Water Governance Between India and Bangladesh
• 20 Protecting the Traditional Knowledge of Coastal Communities for Climate Resilience
• 21 Surviving the Annual Yamuna Flood: Communities in Yamuna Bank and Kalindi Kunj, Delhi NCR
• 22 Realizing the Right to Clean Water in India: Legal Obligations, Policy Frameworks, and Ground Realities
• 23 The Ganges Treaty at a Crossroads: Reconsidering International Water Law Principles for Future Cooperation
• 24 Water Privatization and Public Rights: Balancing Efficiency, Equity, and Access to a Fundamental Human Right
• 25 AI in River Monitoring: Legal Perspectives on Ownership and Governance of AI-Generated Data
• 26 Inter-River Water Allocation and Conflict: A Study of Competing Constitutional Dialogue and Legislative Framework in India
• 27 Inequitable Water Distribution: Socio-Legal Implications of Krishna River Allocation on Agricultural Labour in Andhra Pradesh
• 28 Assessing the Legal Mechanism of Integrated River Basin Management Systems in the Ganga and Pamba Basins
• 29 River Management and Conservation in India through the Lens of Participatory Democracy
• 30 Livelihood, Rituals, and Resilience: The Riverine Experiences of the Vannar Community in Tamil Nadu
• 31 Mining the Mahanadi: The Contested Terrain of Coal Extraction, Ecological Sustainability, and Community Rights in Eastern India
• 32 Transboundary Waters Under Pressure: Climate Risks and the Indus Water Treaty
• 33 Rivers of Discord: The Ganga-Teesta Water Disputes and the Politics of River Diplomacy
• 34 Revolutionizing Access to Clean Water Through ICT in Underdeveloped Nations: A Policy Study
• 35 Balancing Ecological Conservation with Tribal Livelihoods: A Secondary Data Analysis of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve and Bhavani Basin in Tamil Nadu
• 36 Debating Legal Rights of Rivers
• 37 Water Footprint and Virtual Water as Regulatory Tools for India
• 38 Gendered Access to Water: Inequalities and Policy Gaps in Water Management
• 39 Negotiating Rivers, Law and Boundaries: Towards a More Nuanced Understanding of River Management for the Sustainability Era
• 40 The Yamuna River Pollution Crisis Post-G20 Clean-Up Efforts