ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the role of the state in the re-production of the Majuli hazardscape. It begins with a brief history of flood control and riverbank protection in Assam, tracing it back to the medieval period and, more specifically, the colonial rule. With a critical examination of the hydraulic infrastructure in general and the embankments in particular, the chapter demonstrates how the state’s attempt to prevent flood and erosion through infrastructure has ended up worsening these disasters, thereby rendering the islanders much more vulnerable. With regard to the postcolonial state, the chapter pays special attention to the role of the Water Resources Department and the Brahmaputra Board – the two agencies responsible for the governance of flood and erosion in Majuli. The chapter then proceeds to examine the question of why the state functions in ways that contribute to the re-production of disasters in Majuli. In doing so, it draws on both Marxist and postcolonial theorizations of the state, while also looking at the state as a hybrid where state and non-state actors are constantly interacting with and reshaping one another.
