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Contribution short abstract:

This work will discuss how flood and riverbank erosion re-theorizes livelihood practices due to the disappearance of ‘matti’ (land) and ‘jeevika’ (livelihood) and its materiality based on walking ethnography done in different districts of the north and south banks of Brahmaputra for 18 months.

Contribution long abstract:

Annual Inundation and riverbank erosions have always been part of the everyday lives of riverine communities around the world and especially in the Brahmaputra valley and that has reshaped the valley due to the dual process of flood and riverbank erosion. The twin processes of flood and riverbank erosion have been a significant part of Brahmaputra valley's natural landscapes and livelihood ‘creation’ or ‘destruction’ and also threatened the traditional livelihood systems of the valley which were dependent on the natural resources and have undergone significant changes. However, in the last few decades, the intensity of floods and riverbank erosion has worsened the situation due to climate change and most significantly due to the large-scale hydrocractic infrastructures and intervention projects that show their inability to tame or control the ‘untameable’ Brahmaputra. Hence, this paper seeks to explore and document the lived experiences of disasters, rural transformation, accounts of loss or bearings, and the process of making climate-induced refugees in their homeland due to the disappearance of ‘matti’ (land) and ‘jeevika’ (livelihood). Hence this paper will draw on a broader scholarly endeavour to advance resilient non-structural/ non-technocratic approaches for Disaster Risk Reduction and by doing this, it will not only contribute towards the field of livelihood scholarships but also shed light upon the concerns over livelihood changes and sustainability. This paper is based on walking ethnography done in different districts of the north and south banks of Brahmaputra.