River Systems and River Science in India: Major Drivers and Challenges

Abstract

Rivers and especially large rivers are one of the most important geomorphic systems, on which the sustainability of modern society is dependent. In spite of the pivotal role rivers play in sustaining human civilizations, the understanding of large river systems and appreciation of their multidimensional nature is still fragmentary. Further, almost all rivers on this globe have been ‘disturbed’ significantly due to prolonged human interference. Therefore, there is an urgent need to initiate an integrated effort to develop a process-based understanding of the large river systems. An integrated effort should be made towards developing a core of River Science that includes hydrology, hydraulics, fluvial and hill slope geomorphology, geochemistry, ecology, glaciology, climate change and interaction of these disciplines at different scales through physical and mathematical modelling. Several countries have recognized the need for adopting such a multi-disciplinary approach towards river science centered on hydrology-geomorphology-ecology linkages. Further, the sustainable management of rivers requires a further level of integration that uses the complementary expertise of scientists, engineers and planners.