Social Ecology and Social Exclusion: Lessons from Kosi Command Area

Abstract

There is a close relationship between social ecology and social exclusion, although not rigorously examined by social scientists. The proposed article attempts in establishing a relationship between ecological conditions of the Kosi Command Area adversely affecting various social classes in the region under investigation and exclusion from the benefits resulted from state initiatives. Kosi is one of most notorious rivers in India. It is known for changing its course frequently. Changing course of the river has resulted into millions of hectares of land being degraded, resulting into uncultivable for agricultural purposes. The proposed article examines various agrarian classes adversely affected by degradation of land due to change of the course of the Kosi river. Besides, it also highlights unprecedented floods due to overflow of water from Nepal for which Government of India has no control. These floods have devastated millions of people and billions of rupees in terms of inundation of houses and other assets and damages to crops in the fields. A large chunk of cultivators coming from lower socio-economic background as well as low castes are excluded from benefitting from the little resources available at their disposal. Grihasts as well as petty cultivators are excluded from optimising their major resources at their disposal due to fragile ecological conditions intensified by natural calamities like floods. Social Scientists must learn from these devastations from the perspectives of the disaster management for empowerment of the marginalised sections of the society.