Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1941. / Typescript. Includes abstract and vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 442-458).

This thesis examines the applicability of the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) model of Integrated River Basin Management to the Ganges Basin by utilising the lessons from the Mekong experience of adopting the MDB model. The Ganges is one of the major rivers in the world and the sharing of its water has long been an issue of dispute between the riparian countries. Fragmented and uncoordinated upstream management of the Ganges has caused serious ecological and economic loss in the downstream environment posing a threat to future sustainability of river resources. Cooperation among the riparian countries of the Ganges in order to embrace an integrated and basin-wide management approach is rapidly becoming more important. Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) is a concept widely advocated in different forums for managing the river basins of the world and is adopted in many transboundary river basins. The Australian example of managing the Murray-Darling Basin is considered as a model in the field. The Murray-Darling Basin Commission is well known internationally as a good example of a multi-jurisdictional water management institution. Similar river basin institutions are also evolving in other regions such as the Mekong River Commission for the management of the Mekong River in South-East Asia. The countries sharing the Ganges could learn lessons from the Murray-Darling and Mekong experiences and adopt a basin-wide approach for the better management of the Ganges. However, the policy transfer from a developed country to a developing country context is a challenging process. The highly pertinent contextual differences in social, economic, political, environmental and hydrological settings of the three cases need to be carefully addressed. The research critically examines these factors in the Murray-Darling, Mekong and the Ganges contexts, identifies the similarities and differences between them and attempts to understand the influence/s of these in the policy transfer or policy development process. This research adopted multiple-case studies involving both qualitative and quantitative methods. The cases of the Murray-Darling and Mekong were studied to understand the process and to utilise the lessons learned for the institutional development towards integrated and basin-wide approach for the Ganges. The study analyses the interview results from the experts in the relevant fields to get an insight of different issues and also to collect their opinions. The responses from the stakeholder interviews in Bangladesh were analysed to understand their perspective in this regard. The thesis concludes that adoption of the Murray-Darling Basin model of integrated management needs modification in the Ganges context and recommends a specific institutional structure for the basin-wide management of the Ganges. The thesis contributes to an area of knowledge in recent times by providing a greater understanding of the Integrated River Basin Management in a multi-jurisdictional context. It critically examines the issues in policy transfer from a developed to a developing country focussing on a little studied but significant international river basin, the Ganges. It is hoped that this thesis will contribute towards better policy options for the sustainable management of the international river system. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1321536 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences, 2008

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Texas, May, 2007. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis sets out to develop a beginning of a philosophy of water by considering philosophical implications of ecological crises currently happening along the waters of the Ganges River. In my first chapter, I give a historical account of a philosophy of water. In my second chapter, I describe various natural and cultural representations of the Ganges, accounting for physical features of the river, Hindu myths and rituals involving the river, and ecological crises characterized by the pollution and damming of the river. In my third and final chapter, I look into the philosophical implications of these crises in terms of the works of the contemporary philosopher Bruno Latour.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wyoming, 2005. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Nov. 13, 2007). Includes bibliographical references (p. 132-140).

Spatial and temporal patterns of dissolved organic matter (DOM) were characterized using a combination of spectroluorometric measurements and multivariate analysis techniques. The study was conducted over a four-year (2012-2016) period in multiple watersheds located in the Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Plain Physiographic region of the southeast USA as well as in the Indo-Gangetic Plain of India. Surface water samples were collected from five major lakes in the Mississippi, an estuarine region in the southeastern Louisiana, and from the coastal region in the eastern Mississippi Sound in the USA, and a large river (Ganges River) in India. Absorption and fluorescence measurements were performed to generate absorption spectra and excitation-emission matrices (EEMs). Using parallel factor analyses (PARAFAC), EEM models were developed to characterize the biogeochemistry of DOM in three studies in this project. Principal component analysis and regression analyses of DOM data indicated that the northern Mississippi lakes were majorly influenced by agricultural land use, estuarine region was affected by natural DOM export from forests and wetlands, while the coastal waters were affected by a mix of anthropogenic and natural inputs of DOM. Spatial analyses indicated that DOM derived from watershed with increased wetland coverage was humic and aromatic while the DOM derived from agricultural watersheds was bioavailable. Temporal patterns of DOM in the estuary indicated the influence of hydrologic conditions and summer temperatures, and revealed strong seasonality in DOM evolution in the watershed. During high discharge periods (spring), aromatic and humic DOM was exported from the watershed while strong photochemical degradation during summer resulted bioavailable DOM. Comparison between two river systems, a highly urbanized large river and a small pristine river, indicated the influence of anthropogenic inputs of DOM in the large river system. DOM was bioavailable during summer due to anthropogenic activities in the large river system while it varied with hydrological connectivity in a small river system during summer and winter. In conclusion, this study has improved my understandings of the DOM properties, which are critical for a comprehensive assessment of biogeochemical processes undergoing in important water bodies on which our society is heavily dependent upon.

The study investigates and evaluates chemical parameters in handpumped water along Assi, a tributary to Ganga, south of Varanasi, northern India. Assi is polluted from raw sewage, landfill runoff and outlets from industries. To find out if the stream affects the groundwater in its basin, regression analysis of the easily moving ions, nitrite, nitrate and chloride were done during spring and autumn 2008. Significant trends were found for nitrate, most of them in the after monsoon period. No other chemical parameter gave significant trends. Metals as manganese and hexavalent chromium was measured in the spring period. Levels were higher closer to the stream. Significant trends when tested with regression analyses could not be found and the hexavalent chromium do not exceed guideline values in the handpumps measured. Interviews made clear that one quarter of the users of handpumped water have bad water quality during the monsoon period. The mean value of TDS in these pumps were higher than for the pumps that have good water quality and exceeds 500 mg/l. The mean value for turbidity was higher than 5 NTU in these pumps and in pumped water with good quality lower than 5 NTU. High levels of turbidity did not seem to affect the experience of having a good water. Pumps with higher TDS-values shows higher risk for polluted surface runoff together with risk for a broken construction that can allow seepage into the pumped water. Assi gives a severe contribution of raw sewage to Ganga upstream the bathing area in Varanasi and the pollution in the stream seams to affect the groundwater in its basin.

Bangladesh and India share 54 transboundary rivers. Despite that, the transboundary water management between these two countries is heavily concentrated on the Ganges river basin, in which, mode of cooperation is still based on physical sharing of water. The study is developed on the argument that Bangladesh and India need a shift of focus in their current mode of transboundary water management from physical sharing of water to sharing of benefits derived from the use (and non-use) water in order to foster transboundary water cooperation in the Ganges river basin. Based on a single-case study, the research work aims to explore the scope of benefit-sharing in the transboundary water cooperation in the Ganges river basin and how benefit-sharing can be facilitated between these two countries. The findings show that the water negotiation in the Ganges basin would become much more complicated in the future, primarily due to the growing gap between the demand and the availability of water. The adverse impact of climate change will further deteriorate the situation. Besides, the changing nature of India’s domestic politics and the growing internal conflict between its provincial states will weaken the Indian central government’s authority to manage transboundary water resources jointly. Therefore, in the future, Bangladesh and India would find it difficult to elicit a positive-sum outcome from any water negotiation in Ganges river if they still focus on the volumetric allocation of water. The study suggests that inland navigation and water transit, multipurpose storage dam projects and joint management of the Sundarbans can be the potential areas for benefit-sharing in the Ganges basin. The study stresses the importance of shifting the policy outlook and developing institutional arrangements between Bangladesh and India to introduce and facilitate benefit-sharing in the Ganges river basin that will help to share benefits equitably, hence foster cooperation.

No description available.