6. The Controlled Lower Damodar River: A Social Perspective

The Damodar riverbed consists of a series of alluvial bars that are now used as a resource base mostly by refugees. The stretch between Panchet Maithon reservoirs and Barsul-Chanchai is not atypical in terms of contemporary riverbed morphology and bed materials particularly below the Durgapur barrage. But the riverbed landscape, formed by interactions between the riverbed and its occupiers, shows diversity at a micro level. Using their knowledge of river stages, settlers have matched land use at fine scales to flood incidence, applying a concept of flood zoning to the riverbed and effectively utilizing every available inch of space. Functional relations between the riverine environment and riparian community have been influenced by culture, social space, perceived environment, land ownership rights and political forces. As there is no a priori model for human-environment relations, assessment of short-term risks and long-term benefits of water release from the reservoirs and decisions on specific land use are made on the basis of personal experience. The stretch between Maithon/Panchet reservoirs and Barsul Chanchai has become less hazardous and more resource-rich with the mitigation of the annual flood discharge. Here risk is capitalized as resource and long term benefits have overshadowed the short term risk. Paikpara is an example of changing location of the resource base subsequent to a geomorphic threshold. The opening of the Muchi-Begua Hana has transformed an over-bank settlement to a mid-channel settlement. The thalweg of the Amta Channel is extremely narrow compared to the culturally defined riverbed and is not so significant in comparison to the other two sectors of the Lower Damodar.