Managing Rivers

This chapter introduces the current situation, policy progress, and future challenges of country-level river management in China, India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. It outlines the general characteristics of China’s divergent, technocratic approach to exploiting rivers as well as some conservation innovations; India’s exploiting approach to rivers as resources to support regional economic development; Bhutan’s nature-based approach to rivers combined with the decision-making power of big Indian enterprises; and finally, Bangladesh’s vulnerable position as its water resources management is significantly impacted by the water management of upstream nations. In doing so, it reflects on these management programs as state activities. It concludes by considering the impacts of climate change on nation-state riverine policies as well as how global warming-induced melting and thawing of the cryosphere are severely altering the hydrological regime in this region. This chapter includes two boxed sidebars. One introduces ecosystem services as a possible solution to offset nation-state policies, and another describes the long-running anti-dam protests in Sikkim, India.