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• 1 2024-08-21T07:11:33+00:00 Conceptual Frameworks 5 Analysis of concepts impacting the Ganges plain 2024-08-21T10:34:42+00:00 To deepen the analysis of the Ganges crisis, this article draws on the works of scholars like Rob Nixon, John Rodgers, and Nikhil Anand. Nixon’s concept of slow violence is particularly relevant in understanding how the gradual degradation of the Ganges reflects broader patterns of environmental harm that disproportionately affect marginalized communities. Slow violence, as Nixon describes it, is a form of violence that is often overlooked because it is not immediate or spectacular. Instead, it unfolds over time, causing long-term harm to both human and non-human life. The pollution of the Ganges is a clear example of slow violence, where the cumulative effects of industrialization, urbanization, and inadequate governance have led to the river’s decline.
  
  Rodgers’ discussions on infrastructural violence provide a framework for analyzing how India’s development policies have exacerbated the Ganges’ pollution. Infrastructural violence refers to the harm caused by the physical and organizational structures that support a society. In the case of the Ganges, this violence is manifested in the failures of India’s infrastructure to effectively manage pollution and protect the river’s health. The construction of large dams, for example, has disrupted the river’s natural flow and displaced thousands of people, leading to long-term social and environmental harm.
  
  Nikhil Anand’s work on water infrastructure and governance in India offers insights into the challenges of managing a resource as complex and culturally significant as the Ganges. Anand’s research highlights the importance of understanding the social and political dynamics that shape water management practices in India. His work emphasizes the need for a more integrated and community-based approach to environmental governance, one that takes into account the diverse needs and knowledge of the people who depend on the river.
  
  By comparing these theoretical perspectives with the empirical evidence from the Ganges, this study highlights the interplay between ecological degradation, governance failures, and socio-political dynamics. The slow violence inflicted on the Ganges is not just an environmental issue, but a reflection of the deeper structural inequalities and power dynamics at play in India’s development trajectory. Addressing the crisis will require not only technological solutions, but also a rethinking of the governance structures that have perpetuated the river’s degradation.