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Analytical Approaches to River Control

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River Control in India

Part of the book series: Advances in Asian Human-Environmental Research ((AAHER))

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Abstract

This chapter discusses in detail the analytical framework used in this work. A discussion of the World Commission on Dams process and response is used to identify the gaps in existing approaches. This is put into context using the Bhakra project as a case study. The combination of political ecology approaches and Foucauldian discourse analysis is proposed for an examination of discursive and political functions of river control, with a special focus on the role of expert knowledge.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The Bhakra–Nangal project consists of the 225 m high Bhakra dam on the Sutlej river, while 13 km downstream is the 29 m high Nangal barrage. The project includes two power stations and canals. It is hereafter referred to as “Bhakra”.

  2. 2.

    Indian parliament, 15th Lok Sabha, unstarred question no. 1567, “Water logging and drainage system” answered on 22.03.2012.

  3. 3.

    Escobar (2010) goes on to argue that a third-generation post-constructivist political ecology is in the making, however one whose contours are still unclear.

  4. 4.

    This is derived from the work of Edward Said (1979). See also the closely related work of Arnold (1998, 2000) on the construction of the tropics, or what he calls tropicality, that builds upon similar premises.

  5. 5.

    No. 6, 2e trimester 1977.

  6. 6.

    Foucault (2006, pp. 19–37) offers a fascinating discussion of this separation using the example of the madness of King George III.

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  1. Department of Geography South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany

    Ravi Baghel

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Baghel, R. (2014). Analytical Approaches to River Control. In: River Control in India. Advances in Asian Human-Environmental Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04432-3_2

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