Role of Brahmaputra Valley in Population Distribution in North Eastern States

Abstract

Brahmaputra river has ironically been both a ‘boon and bane’ for the north eastern part of India. Brahmaputra’s immense natural potential has provided life and fodder for generations. On the other hand, Brahmaputra’s periodic raging form forces a number of families in Brahmaputra basin to change their place of permanent residence almost every year. Taking Brahmaputra Valley as a case, the impact of a river (and it basin) on the neighbouring spatial extent is discussed in this paper. The historic linkage of Brahmaputra with the North East India forms the basis of this paper. The geographic impact of Brahmaputra is also discussed keeping in mind the socio-political factors. This paper also puts focus on the major problems caused by Brahmaputra in the North East India and implication of the same on the demographic profile. The environmental conditions thus created by the river are a concern of utmost interest, especially to the development authorities which bear the responsibility of ensuring a balanced and sustainable growth to its citizens. The paper finally discusses the major factors responsible for the population distribution in north eastern states due to Brahmaputra Valley. These factors are namely natural course, natural disasters, socio-cultural factors, institutional mechanism and land use pressure. The aim of this paper is to understand the factors responsible for population
distribution due to the presence of an important source of life . . . WATER.