Social Instabilities Induced by Riverbank Erosion

This chapter focuses on the societal aspects of bank erosion victims. Social pathology in relation to bank erosion can be investigated through deep roots and under current in destabilizing social bonds and family relations. Here, the social processes (group, intergroup, personal, and interpersonal) are examined to trace the changes in the social interaction and the behavioral pattern of the victims after riverbank erosion. The social psychology of hazards is also discussed. These are essentially distressed psychology like fear, phobia, tension, and shocks related to the different phases of bank erosion (pre, during, and post). Moreover, the social issues and power politics arising out of the occupying charlands are also discussed in depth in the context of India and Bangladesh. Furthermore, social transformation, mutation, and evolution like biological processes are clearly observed in the context of riverbank erosion. For example, social fusion and fission are the common parlances for the people residing on the two opposite banks to expose conflict, as well as cohesiveness regarding the command over a mid-channel bar. Thus, these cross-cutting issues are addressed in this chapter which might strengthen the understanding of nature-society co-evolution and unearthing human behavior using the social psychology and behavioral model.