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The Ganges/Brahmaputra Watershed is comprised of the two rivers. The rivers both originate in the Himalayan Mountains within the continent of Asia. Both rivers come together and drain into the Bay of Bengal (within the Indian Ocean).

Photo Source: Research Gate

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna-GBM-Basin_fig2_326831987

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The Ganges/Brahmaputra Watershed flows between countries, China, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan. Between both rivers, there is a flow of around 5,425 km of water. The watershed drains in the Bay of Bengal with a base area of about 1.7 million km squared.

Photo Source: Research Gate

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Ganges-and-Brahmaputra-River-basin-with-the-respective-catchment-areas-shown-in-light_fig1_315714708

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The Ganges flows for about 2,525 kilometers. It is the west most of the two rivers and most directly provides to India.

Photo Source: Britannica

https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Ganges-River/274488

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The Brahmaputra river flows about 2,900 kilometers. It is the east most of the two rivers and provides more directly for countries such as China.

Photo Source: Britannica

https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Ganges-River/274488

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The Brahmaputra river area tends to have higher precipitation levels than the Ganges River. (Khatiwada, M., & Curtis, S. 2021). The highest levels of rainfall are recorded within the summer, Monsoon season. There are chances of decrease in precipitation on the eastern areas of the Brahmaputra river.

Photo Source: Danny Louis

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdH4DGqJkRFdPil0Fya9M78inHXQtauA1

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The GBM Watershed is utilized between the five countries it flows amongst. The population of these countries rely on the fresh water available. These countries however struggle immensely with water insecurity. The majority of the fresh water from the watershed is utilized for agriculture.

Photo Source: Republic Policy

https://republicpolicy.com/the-unprecedented-global-population-growth-a-double-edged-sword/

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Freshwater scarcity/insecurity is very high within the watershed despite it's size. Many factors influence the scarcity of fresh water that will continue to hurt the population's access.

Photo Source: Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_scarcity

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The majority usage of land within the GBM watershed is for agriculture. Harmful irrigation systems, groundwater depletion, and developing of more dams are all majorly harming impacts on land use. Intensive agricultural practices are stripping fresh water and heightening fresh-water scarcity.

Photo Source: Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganges_Delta

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There is potential for conflict of management between countries within the GBM watershed. A more likely rise in conflict might be caused by rapid developments of infrastructures and industries such as dams amongst the watersheds (Giordano, Wahal 2022).

Photo Source: Energy World

https://energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/power/no-dams-in-upper-reaches-of-ganga-open-letter-to-pm-modi/86110048

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Due to intensive agricultural/irrigational practices, groundwater levels are being depleted at a non-sustainable rate. Ground water provides fresh water, meaning these practices are effecting water insecurity as well. Being within a primarily agriculturally ran area, these intensive practices are harming the land and the population.

Photo Source: USDA

https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2017/june/understanding-irrigated-agriculture/

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More and more dams are continuing to be developed, more specifically at higher points of streams. This has potential to harm not only river flow structures but lower access to that water at lower points. The continuous building of dams could potentially cause conflict between countries as well.

Photo Source: Tibet Sun

https://www.tibetsun.com/news/2021/02/11/china-planning-to-build-worlds-biggest-dam-on-brahmaputra-in-tibet-report

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Physical impacts can and will hurt not only the infrastructure of rivers themselves but the land surrounding them. Monsoon seasons are prominent in the GBM watershed causing frequent flooding and erosion. These implications will cause harm to the land as well as the population.

Photo Source: Yale Environment

https://e360.yale.edu/features/as-the-monsoon-and-climate-shift-india-faces-worsening-floods

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The concepts of climate change could be blamed for most challenges watersheds face. Temperatures rising, changes in precipitation patterns, glacial melting, dry seasons, flooding, and more are all struggles the GBM faces at different rates. There are many changes the population can make to help improve situations in hopes to improve their watershed as well.

Photo Source: The Tribune

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/ganges-brahmaputra-among-major-south-asian-river-basins-to-feel-impact-of-climate-change-report-602562/

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The Brahmaputra basin is considered to be "the richest reservoir of biodiversity in India" (Lodhi, Amonge 2022). There are however several threats the GBM faces in relation to biodiversity as they experience challenges such as changing in climate, deforestation, floodings, dry seasons, and more.

Photo Source: Biotope Aquarium

https://biotopeaquariumproject.com/bin/brahmaputra-river-assam-india-psarkar/

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The Ganges river specifically is one of the highest polluted rivers globally. Human impacts such as waste/sewage are the most likely causes of the pollution. This is an issue that must be addressed soon in order to stop the progression. More polluted waters means less fresh water causing higher levels of water insecurity for those who partake.

Photo Source: National Geographic

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/111123-india-ganges-river-pollution

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China and India, being two of the world's most populous countries, make a large impact on the watershed. With over 500 million people reliant on it's resources, that population will impact the watershed negatively through many ways. Pollution, overharvesting, depletion of groundwater, industrial advancements, agricultural necessities, and more are all leading causes to harm on the watershed. With so many people dependent on it's water, changes need to be made in order to sustain the watershed.

Photo Source: iStock

https://www.istockphoto.com/illustrations/people

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Each of the five countries generally manage the parts of the rivers that fall within their spatial boundaries. A call for growing knowledge is necessary from each country in order to better manage their usage and their impacts made by their population and industries.

Photo Source: World Atlas

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-type-of-government-does-india-have.html

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The GBM watershed is home to many loved cultural practices. The rivers are considered to be very sacred. A large portion of the population practice Hinduism. "Hindu belief holds that bathing in the river on certain occasions causes the forgiveness of transgressions and helps attain salvation" (UIdaho 2019).

Photo Source: Los Angeles Times

https://www.latimes.com/books/la-ca-jc-sudipta-sen-ganges-review-20190124-story.html

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The Ganges river is said to be the personification of the Goddess Ganga. Worshipped within Hinduism, the river is very sacred to their culture.

Photo Source: HAF

https://www.hinduamerican.org/blog/ganga-river-goddess

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In the land of Assam, the Brahmaputra river is very sacred. There is a high emphasis on the relationship of the river and language. Different dialects were formed along the river. There are many songs and traditions held in relation to the river and the culture.

Photo Source: And Beyond

https://www.andbeyond.com/destinations/asia/india/east-india/assam/

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A hard path solution that could change the trajectory of the watershed for the better would be changing the infrastructures/plans made for things such as irrigation and dams. The high productions of dams are hurting the environment and high levels of irrigation deplete the fresh water from the ground at an unsustainable rate. Finding a good balance between infrastructure and the pulling of water could help decrease water insecurity.

Photo Source: Reuters

https://www.reuters.com/graphics/INDIA-FLOOD/010080MF18N/

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Soft path solutions the population could make would be watch their pollution outputs. Pollution is one of the most doting problems within the watershed and the majority of it is from human impact. Being aware and slowing down on pollution patterns such as excess fertilizer run off, poor sewage, and more could make a huge difference.

Photo Source: Oxfam

https://asia.oxfam.org/latest/blogs/old-brahmaputra-story-reliance

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A few examples of feedback loops I found in relation to the water scarcity/insecurity in the GBM watershed.

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A causal loop describing the many factors that intertwine with one another in relation to the water scarcity/insecurity in the GBM watershed.

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Ghosh, N. (2023, July 20). Governing the Ganges and Brahmaputra: Beyond Reductionist Hydrology. Orfonline.org; OBSERVER RESEARCH FOUNDATION ( ORF ). https://www.orfonline.org/research/governing-the-ganges-and-brahmaputra-beyond-reductionist-hydrology

Giordano, M., & Wahal, A. (2022, December 8). The Water Wars Myth: India, China and the Brahmaputra. United States Institute of Peace. https://www.usip.org/publications/2022/12/water-wars-myth-india-china-and-brahmaputra

Khatiwada, M., & Curtis, S. (2021). Precipitation Trends in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna River Basin, South Asia: Inconsistency in Satellite-Based Products. Atmosphere, 12(9), 1155. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12091155

Mahendra, S., Lodhi, & Amonge, D. (2022). JOJ Wildl Biodivers Threats to Biodiversity of Brahmaputra River Basin (India). JOJ Wildl Biodivers, 4(2). https://juniperpublishers.com/jojwb/pdf/JOJWB.MS.ID.555635.pdf

Murshed, S. B., & Kaluarachchi, J. J. (2018). Scarcity of fresh water resources in the Ganges Delta of Bangladesh. Water Security, 4-5, 8–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasec.2018.11.002

Natesan, S. (2021, January 26). Ma Ganga is more than a river, she’s a goddess. Hindu American Foundation. https://www.hinduamerican.org/blog/ganga-river-goddess

Facebook, Twitter, options, S. more sharing, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Email, URLCopied!, C. L., & Print. (2019, January 23). Review: “Ganges” explores why the river draws pilgrims and emperors alike to dip in its sacred waters. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/books/la-ca-jc-sudipta-sen-ganges-review-20190124-story.html

The Influence of Riverbanks on Assamese Culture and Lifestyle. (2024). Asianconfluence.org. https://www.asianconfluence.org/publication-details-full/the-influence-of-riverbanks-on-assamese-culture-and-lifestyle