River–Water–Livelihood Nexus in the Anthropocene

River-Water-Livelihood Nexus in the Anthropocene: Dialogues in Tropical Deltas explores the interconnections between river systems, water dynamics, and livelihoods in an era of increasing climatic and anthropogenic pressures. The book aims to bridge natural hazards research with Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) by examining how exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity interact within river basins and floodplains. Using interdisciplinary approaches including geographical analysis, socio-hydrological modelling, vulnerability assessment, spatial analytics (GIS and remote sensing), and participatory methods it demonstrates how disaster risk can be better mapped, understood, and managed when environmental and social dimensions are considered together.

The study also examines governance challenges in river basin management, particularly in transboundary contexts where ecological systems intersect with political boundaries. Institutional fragmentation, policy silos, and unequal power structures often constrain effective risk mitigation. In alignment with global frameworks such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Sustainable Development Goals, the book advocates integrated river basin management, ecosystem-based strategies, and community-centered adaptation.

Conceptually, the book advances the River–Water–Livelihood Nexus as an integrative framework that links physical geography, socio-hydrology, disaster studies, and development policy. It situates disaster risk within the broader context of the Anthropocene, where human interventions such as dams, embankments, urban expansion, and land-use change actively reshape hazard regimes. Moving beyond hazard-centered perspectives, the work emphasizes vulnerability, adaptive capacity, and livelihood transformation, highlighting how risk is socially produced and unevenly distributed among river-dependent populations. By combining natural science, social science, and policy perspectives, the book offers practical and policy-relevant insights for strengthening resilience and promoting sustainable riverine development in an increasingly uncertain hydro-climatic environment.