Abstract:

The visible presence of the state in altering the river through infrastructure of various kinds, such as a barrage, canals, embankments, and roads is a paradox to its complete absence from people’s lives already rendered uncertain due to such infrastructure development. The Government continues to build infrastructure and alter hydrological regimes, and people continue to adapt. This is not a linear narrative of helplessness and lack of agency, but a reflection of how people affected with floods develop practical knowledge to survive in challenging circumstances.