Flood Control Mechanisms in an Anthropogenic Era: Nexus of Environmental and Epistemic Justice

Amidst the recent floods observed globally, I propose to historicise the flood control mechanisms since the colonial period, later extended into the state policies and global international organisations. These flood control mechanisms specifically focus on the hydraulic infrastructures and their ‘qualitative development’ with the scientific advancement that validated the hegemony of coloniser, the institution of state, and international organisations over the native/local/indigenous people as well as on the nature/rivers. I draw the link of this hegemony and coloniality over local people and water with the epistemic power relations that result in the marginalised knowledge systems and epistemic injustice. These marginalised knowledge systems imply a harmonic relationship between humans and nature rather than treating the latter merely as a resource to be extracted. In this context of hegemony over nature through floods and epistemicide of indigenous knowledge systems, I present a critical aspect to the modern solutions/techno-managerial hydraulic infrastructures towards controlling floods while building on historical accounts from South Asian riverine ecologies.

Amidst the multiple epistemic threads, this paper aims to present an alternative flood centred perspective from the footsteps of Himalayas where unleashed nature is viewed beyond coloniality. These alternative notions suggest the floods as a spiritual phenomenon that heals and cleanses the earth, bathes and nourishes the earth. These notions view floods as a phenomenon that brings the rivers back to life, the rivers that have been malnourished due to the huge hydraulic infrastructures.

This marginalised, bordered, and non-hegemonic perspective is reflected in the local poetry, folk music, and folk celebrations that is usually disregarded as inaccurate and non-scientific knowledge. The marginalisation and lack of visibility of the mutual understanding between the local people, their land, and rivers results in the modern/colonial hegemonic narratives as the only narratives related to floods.