Green Governmentality and Marginalised Populations: A Case Study of the Brahmaputra River, India

Abstract

The concept of Green Governmentality emerges with the rise of modern environmentalism during the 1960s and 1970s. Biopolitical ideas form the foundation of the literature on green governmentality. It relates to an art of government that implies humans must manage themselves successfully, in accordance with nature’s limits, in order to achieve modernity. The rise of environmental issues in contemporary society has made a positive response for environmental politics. Environmental pollution is now regarded as a human-caused problem that cannot be ignored worldwide. Brahmaputra is one of the major rivers in India, bearing the burden of many citizens’ survival and means of their livelihood. Polluting the nearby areas and the river itself causes human concerns like health hygiene, as well as having an impact on certain human activities, directly or indirectly. Many people whose socioeconomic status is below poverty lines depend on the river for survival. They are also the frontline warriors in any natural calamity that occurs in the area. Given the significance of the river and the impact of its pollution on marginalised groups of people, a call for Green Governmentality, with the collaboration of both the government and local residents, is required to improve the condition of the river and marginalised groups. The present paper aims to examine the varied impacts of pollution in the Brahmaputra River on marginalised sections of people. It also intends to highlight the importance of the necessary call for adopting green governmentality to bring about a positive change in the river and improve the living conditions of the marginalized populations.