Living with Disasters
Communities and Development in the Indian Sundarbans

This book is a critical account of the disconnected nature of governance, conservation and livelihood initiatives in the Indian Sundarbans.

Amites Mukhopadhyay (Author)

9781107107281, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 25 February 2016

180 pages
23.6 x 15.8 x 1.7 cm, 0.38 kg

This book is a critical account of the disconnected nature of governance, conservation and livelihood initiatives in the Indian Sundarbans, an active delta that spreads over 25,500 sq. km across India and Bangladesh and lies in the Bay of Bengal. It draws a holistic picture of the disaster-prone delta in eastern India, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and also one of the largest tracts of mangrove forests in the world. The author juxtaposes the vulnerable lives and frequently displaced existence of the islanders against the dominant strategies of conservation and development followed by the state.

Maps and illustrations
Tables and charts
Glossary
Acronyms
Acknowledgements
Note on transliteration
1. Introduction
2. From wasteland to wonderland: the making of a heritage site
3. Governing the Sundarbans embankments today: between policies and practices
4. Treading a fine path between river and land: livelihoods around embankments
5. Beldars, embankments and governance: question of Aboriginality revisited
6. Catching prawns, endangering embankments: sustainability-unsustainability rhetoric
7. Conclusion
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Rural planning [RPG], Environmentalist, conservationist & Green organizations [RNB]