Why Are the Ganges and Brahmaputra Undeveloped?: Politics and Stagnation in the Rivers of Asia
Author(s)
Crow, Ben
Abstract
Every year hundreds are killed and millions made homeless by floods in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Basins. While coordinated development of the rivers could increase agricultural productivity and provide enormous quantities of hydroelectricity for the three main countries of the region- India, Nepal and Bangladesh-for the last thirty years such development has been precluded by intergovernmental dispute over the sharing of the Ganges. As long as that remains the case, proposals for the regulation and development of the Ganges and Brahmaputra are likely to stagnate. This article examines the history of the Ganges watersharing dispute, its origins and the way in which it has been conducted. In essence, it is an exploration of the political priorities of the Governments of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh as they have been expressed in this conflict.
