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Book part
Publication date: 7 June 2010

Nozomi Hishida and Ryo Kamada

In recent years, cooperation between the public and the private sectors has been emphasized in the field of river basin management, which includes flood control, water use, and…

Abstract

In recent years, cooperation between the public and the private sectors has been emphasized in the field of river basin management, which includes flood control, water use, and river environmental conservation. During the 3rd World Water Forum held in 2003 in Kyoto, Osaka, and Shiga, Japan, participants from various countries had reported participatory approaches and joint initiatives between public and private sectors in river basin management. Through this forum, it is shown that this theme has been receiving attention in different parts of the world.

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Water Communities
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-699-1

Book part
Publication date: 26 November 2014

Sya Buryn Kedzior

Recent years have produced significant demand for geographical contributions to the study of social movements in general and of environmental social movement organizations (ESMOs…

Abstract

Recent years have produced significant demand for geographical contributions to the study of social movements in general and of environmental social movement organizations (ESMOs) in particular. Geographical approaches to the study of ESMOs emphasize “the mediation of social movement agency by place” (Miller, 2000; Routledge, 1993) and call attention to the role of place-based environmental knowledge (EK) in the broader “struggle(s) over meaning” that increasingly constitute environmental politics (Buechler, 1997; Escobar, 1992; Rangan, 2000; Watts, 1990). My chapter responds to this call by providing an examination of the reproduction of EK by antipollution organizations in India’s central Ganges River Basin (GRB). Through interviews with organization leaders and members, along with analysis of organizational websites and publications, I examine the EK of two key antipollution organizations in the GRB: The Sankat Mochan Foundation (SMF) and Kanpur Eco-Friends (KEF). Analysis focuses on methods of knowledge reproduction employed by each organization, their respective framing practices, and the localized natures of the EK they reproduce. I argue that each organization works to reproduce a specific and place-based understanding of pollution in the GRB that informs their framing of the pollution problem, the tactical activities in which their members engage, and the power relations that exist between the two organizations and their leaders. Further, I argue that engaging with EK as both a method of understanding pollution and a tactic for consolidating political power is essential to making sense of the relative success of these movement organizations and the challenges they face in trying to build a broader coalition and mass-mobilization against pollution in the Ganges.

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Occupy the Earth: Global Environmental Movements
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78350-697-2

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Book part
Publication date: 17 January 2023

Bruce Prideaux

The rejuvenation of waterways, including rivers and canals as well as riverbanks, has led to an almost explosive increase in the touristic colonization of these fluvial…

Abstract

The rejuvenation of waterways, including rivers and canals as well as riverbanks, has led to an almost explosive increase in the touristic colonization of these fluvial landscapes. In Europe, navigable rivers once used to transport freight have undergone a tourism inspired renaissance as river cruise routes. A similar renaissance has occurred in many of Europe's canal systems. This paper identifies four key elements that form the core of waterway tourism: the structural elements of waterways; the on-land experience; the on-water experience, and; the onboard experience. Structural elements include waterway capacity and use profile, the on-land experience refers to the use of riverbanks for recreation and tourism, the on-water experience refers to activities including swimming, fishing and recreational boating and, the onboard experience refers to the lived experiences of passengers on overnight waterway cruising. The discussion in this paper addresses two research issues related to the core elements of waterway tourism, testing of the canal lifecycle model and exploration of the lived experiences of river cruising in Europe.

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Advances in Hospitality and Leisure
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80382-816-9

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Book part
Publication date: 17 June 2020

Mark G. Macklin and John Lewin

Rivers have played a defining role in the global development of human societies and culture. This will undoubtedly continue in the twenty-first century with a growing demand for…

Abstract

Rivers have played a defining role in the global development of human societies and culture. This will undoubtedly continue in the twenty-first century with a growing demand for water, increasing pollution of river channel and floodplain environments, and anthropogenic global warming-related changes in the frequency of floods and droughts. These will have major environmental and societal impacts worldwide. We consider how rivers initially shaped societies, and then how urbanisation, industrialisation and intensified agriculture have more recently transformed river systems, so compromising planetary health and human ways of life. So where do we go from here? Humanity now faces an existential environmental catastrophe of its own making, and it will be on the world's most densely populated floodplains where this crisis will be played out. We highlight likely areas facing the greatest challenges. Ironically, many of these are where ancient civilisations began. Interdisciplinary catchment-based approaches, and new technologies such as those based on satellite imagery and unmanned aerial vehicles, are now beginning to address pressing societal and planetary problems in the unfolding climate crisis.

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Science, Faith and the Climate Crisis
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83982-987-1

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 18 July 2007

Daniel Petry and Ines Dombrowsky

Given that the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) calls for the management of water resources at the river basin level, the German water sector, which has historically been…

Abstract

Given that the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) calls for the management of water resources at the river basin level, the German water sector, which has historically been dominated by the federal states and has been organized along administrative borders, is now challenged to be reorganized. The article introduces the German water sector, reviews past experiences with river basin management such as North Rhine–Westphalia's water associations, the river basin organizations of the former German Democratic Republic, and international river commissions, and addresses current challenges in connection with the implementation of WFD.

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Ecological Economics of Sustainable Watershed Management
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-507-9

Book part
Publication date: 7 June 2010

Jet-Chau Wen, Kuo-Chyang Chang, Shao-Yang Huang, Chia-Chen Hsu, Keng-Yu Chang and Wen-Ni Chen

Rivers flowing through the land are a source of life. They have different importance and functions such as for drinking, sailing, irrigating crops, generating electricity…

Abstract

Rivers flowing through the land are a source of life. They have different importance and functions such as for drinking, sailing, irrigating crops, generating electricity, sightseeing, fishing, and so on. In addition, animals like amphibians, birds, and mammals also live and propagate near the river environment. Therefore, rivers are ecosystems for some animals and plants that are special, rare, or on the brink of extinction (Water Resources Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs, 2006).

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Water Communities
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-699-1

Book part
Publication date: 12 June 2023

M. Rezaul Islam and Walter Leal Filho

Drawing findings from the river erosion-prone district Bhola in Bangladesh, this study presents the nature and causes of human displacement and the types of resilience livelihood…

Abstract

Drawing findings from the river erosion-prone district Bhola in Bangladesh, this study presents the nature and causes of human displacement and the types of resilience livelihood options for reducing risks caused by river erosion. The study used a quantitative research approach, in which a survey was employed. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 371 heads of households from three unions of three Upazilas (sub-divisions) in the Bhola District. Results showed that 95% of the households were displaced by river erosion, 54% of them were displaced two to four times in the last five years, 30% of the households were displaced to embankments, and 22% were displaced to their relatives’ houses. Nearly 70% of the households reported river erosion as a main cause and 42% referred other disasters. Regarding livelihood options, 47% of the households desired to engage in fishing labour, 44% in day labour, and 33% in independent fishing. During river erosion, 93% of the household members had to engage in income-generating activities, and one-half of them had to change their livelihood options. Finding new livelihood options and resilience strategies to reduce displacement would be an important guideline for disaster managers, policy-makers, and development practitioners.

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Disaster, Displacement and Resilient Livelihoods: Perspectives from South Asia
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80455-449-4

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Book part
Publication date: 13 October 2008

Ashok Swain

Water has been called the oil of the 21st century. Global water consumption is rising steeply and the lack of adequate supplies of quality water is a problem in many parts of the…

Abstract

Water has been called the oil of the 21st century. Global water consumption is rising steeply and the lack of adequate supplies of quality water is a problem in many parts of the world. Water is one of the most abundant elements of earth, covering nearly 1,400 million cubic kilometers, nearly 70 percent of the planet's surface. However, only a very minor portion of this huge volume is actually usable. The rest forms oceans and polar ice caps. Availability of usable water is further limited by the fact that it cannot be easily exported over long distances.

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Conflict and Peace in South Asia
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-534-5

Book part
Publication date: 21 November 2018

Kogila Vani Annammala, Anand Nainar, Abdul Rahim Mohd Yusoff, Zulkifli Yusop, Kawi Bidin, Rory Peter Dominic Walsh, William H. Blake, Faizuan Abdullah, Dhinesh Sugumaran and Khuneswari Gopal Pillay

Although there have been extensive studies on the hydrological and erosional impacts of logging, relatively little is known about the impacts of conversion into agricultural…

Abstract

Although there have been extensive studies on the hydrological and erosional impacts of logging, relatively little is known about the impacts of conversion into agricultural plantation (namely rubber and oil palm). Furthermore, studies on morphological impacts, sediment-bound chemistry and forensic attribution of deposited sediment to their respective sources are scarcer. This chapter introduces the potential for using the multi-proxy sediment fingerprinting technique in this context. Featuring pilot projects in two major flood-prone river systems in Malaysia, the studies explore application of geochemistry-based sediment source ascription. The geochemical signatures of sediment mixtures on floodplains were compared to sediments from upstream source tributaries. The tributaries were hypothesised to have different geochemical signatures in response to dominant land management. The first case study took place in the Segama River system (4,023 km2) of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo where a mixture of primary forest, logged-forests and oil palm plantations were predominant. The second case study was in the Kelantan River Basin (13,100 km2) with two major tributaries (Galas River and Lebir River) where logged-forests and rubber and oil palm plantations are dominant land-uses. Both case studies demonstrated the applicability of this method in ascribing floodplain deposited sediment to their respective upstream sources. Preliminary results showed that trace elements associated with fertilisers (e.g. copper and vanadium) contribute to agricultural catchment signatures. Alkaline and alkaline-earth elements were linked to recently established oil palm plantations due to soil turnover. Mixing model outputs showed that contributions from smaller, more severely disturbed catchment are higher than those from larger but milder disturbed catchments. This method capitalises on flood events to counter its adverse impacts by identifying high-priority sediment source areas for efficient and effective management.

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Improving Flood Management, Prediction and Monitoring
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78756-552-4

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 7 June 2010

Hirotada Matsuki

In Asian monsoon region, rice production has been a key industry for two millennia. This region is blessed of fertile paddy on vast alluvial plain, which has been formulating…

Abstract

In Asian monsoon region, rice production has been a key industry for two millennia. This region is blessed of fertile paddy on vast alluvial plain, which has been formulating through erosive/transport/depositional work of rivers around upthrusted high mountains due to orogenic movements of the earth. Rice harvest was the main taxable property since the first step of the human history, and rice production process has made fundamental land use in this region. Catching up with the development of water transport and commodity economy, paddy field covered wide and flat alluvial plains expecting more and more harvest. Rice was brought away for tax or as currency.

Details

Water Communities
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-699-1

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