"The study is part of the recent three volume independent-but-related study of India's waters. This volume brings out the development of the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna system, which is one of the world's largest hydrological systems and most populated region of the world"-- 
PART I SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS Introduction Introduction Overview Notes System Environmental Characteristics Introduction Location and Physical Geography Physiography and Geology Climate and Hydrology Hydro System Geohydrology Land and Soils Fauna and Flora Socioeconomic Scene Introduction Political Geography Historical Perspective Population Independence and Present Scene-India Sociopolitical Perspective-Bangladesh Sociopolitical Perspective-Nepal Sociopolitical Perspective-Bhutan Economic Scene Note PART II CURRENT DEVELOPMENT POLICY AND STATE Environmental Management-Historical Perspective Introduction Historical Perspective-Pre-British Scene British Period Water Resources Development Land Forests Developments in Nepal and Bhutan Introduction Nepal Bhutan Post-Independence Development-India Introduction Water Land Fauna and Flora Environmental Management Conclusion Environmental Management in Bangladesh Introduction Country Context Environmental Scene Environmental and Water Management Water Resources Development Flood Management Water Resources Management in Bangladesh: Steps toward a New National Water Plan (NNWP) Structure for Future National Water Management System Service Sectors Arsenic Challenge Environmental Management Vulnerability to Climate Change Management in Long-Term Perspective Conclusion Notes Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan Interaction Introduction Indo-Nepal Interrelation Indo-Bhutan Interaction Indo-Bangladesh Interaction Introduction Indo-Bangladesh Relations Indo-Bangladesh Waters-Official Interactions Augmentation Proposals Developments from 1987 Overview Note Institutional Setup Introduction Pre-British Period British Period Post-British Period-India Bangladesh International Institutional Interaction Some Perspectives and Institutional and Cultural Revolution Conclusion Notes PART III PROPOSED REVOLUTIONARY POLICY Current Scene and Official Future Perceptions Introduction Domestic Water Supply and Sanitation Agriculture Demand and Agricultural Transformation Rural Transformation Manufacturing and Industrialization Conservation of the Environment and Water Challenge of Managing the Waters-A Perspective Management of Environmental System Climate Change Conclusion Note Revolutionizing the Development and Management of Water- Conceptual and Policy Issues Introduction Development of Water-Historical Perspective Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Societal-Environmental Systems Issues and Management Societal-Environmental Systems Management (SESM) with Focus on Water Societal-Environmental Systems Management Principle Implications for Management of Water Systems Planning Scenario Analysis Some Advances in Modeling Technology Study of Changes in Land Use and Land Cover Management for Climate Change Sustainable Development-Third World Perspective and Challenge Environment, Development, and Participation Dams-A Scientific Perspective World's First Anti-Dam Movement and India's Societal Response Institutional Issues-Culture Matters Summary Notes Appendix 1: The National Water Mission Soil Erosion and Its Management Revolutionizing the Environmental Management of the GBM Basin Introduction Development Objective Some Novel Technologies for Development of GBM Waters Emphasizing Some Unique Contributions of the Proposed Revolutionary Technologies Estimate of Water Availability Revolution Overview of GBM Development Integrated Development of GBM Basin Some Specific Issues Groundwater Management Societal-Environmental Systems Management Scientific Management of Water-Some Basic Perspectives GBM Systems Planning Perspective-Societal-Environmental Systems Management Revolutionizing the Management Modernization of the Spectrum of Activities Culture Matters Conclusion Notes Total Integrated Development of GBM-Policy and Implementation Introduction Rationale for Considering Total Integrated GBM Development Nepal-Characteristics and Challenges Bangladesh-Characteristics and Challenges Assessment of the Current Official Proposals Dealing with Dynamics of Delta Configuration Scientific Management of GBM-Environmental Systems Perspective New International Perspective of GBM Basin Implementation of Integrated Development of GBM Basin Conclusion Notes Conclusions Notes References Index