Land Use Dynamics and Environmental Management of River Basins with Emphasis on Deltaic Ecosystems: Need for Integrated Study Based Development and Nourishment Programs and Institutionalizing the Management Strategies

The deltaic systems maintain a delicate equilibrium with the litho, hydro, bio and atmospheric processes and provide sustenance to the biosphere. Located at the receptive end, the lower reaches of the river basins a la deltas are fragile ecosystems and are susceptible to the changes in the upstream regions. These ecosystems survive at the mercy of processes not only in their vicinity, but also the processes that act at the catchments of the river systems. With the growing population and economic development, they are under multiple pressures emanating from anthropogenic activities. Unlike the natural processes, the anthropogenic interventions with the deltaic ecosystems are highly complex and varied. These range from modification of physical surface characteristics, introduction of physical, chemical and biological pollutants from point and non-point sources, in the name of developmental activities including but not limited to urbanization, commercial, industrial, recreational and agricultural endeavors, culture, geopolitics, racism, quality of life, economic might, and mismanagement and unsustainable rates of exploitation of natural resources. All these could be comprehensively termed into conversion of natural land cover into land use. In this paper, an attempt is made to enlist the human endeavors that convert the natural land cover into anthropogenic land use and resultant adverse impacts and irreversible reactions. These are then summed up into a scheme of comprehensive study for integrated management. A plea is also made to institutionalize the management practices for effective implementation and sustainable development.