Mapping the River Ganga, India's Iconic Water Machine

With a view to providing senior government stakeholders new perspectives on managing river basins in India, Columbia Global Centers | Mumbai organized a series of lectures and trainings from April–May, 2018. The sessions were led by Dr. Anthony Acciavatti, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Columbia University, who spent over a decade mapping the Ganga River Basin.

The mythological, cultural and agricultural significance of the River Ganga has long captured the country’s imagination, but few realize it is also one of the most hyper-engineered landscapes of the world. Over the past 150 years, the ancient river has been transformed into India’s iconic water machine. This transformation is more than just a cartographic concern, it merits greater scrutiny.