Rivers Unbound

Ananth Padmanabhan is an expert in intellectual property rights and technology policy. He has been serving as the Dean of VMLS from July, 2023, after completing a mid-career business program (MSx Sloan Fellow ‘23) from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in June 2023. He has authored a leading treatise, Intellectual Property Rights: Infringement and Remedies and co-edited an important volume, India as a Pioneer of Innovation. His co-authored chapter on Big Data in an impactful volume on Regulation in India: Design, Capacity, Performance, is part of a continuing initiative to examine the public law and regulatory dimensions of new technologies. It builds on his understanding of the Indian State and the Supreme Court within the constitutional context, explored through chapters in Rethinking Public Institutions in India, and the Oxford Handbook of the Indian Constitution. He engages in broader public conversations on the impact of technology through his opinion pieces in Hindustan Times, ThePrint, Livemint, Indian Express, and other print / new media.Nabeela Siddiqui is currently serving as an Assistant Professor at Vinayaka Mission’s Law School (VMLS), Vinayaka Mission’s Research Foundation (Deemed to be University), Chennai with a strong focus on contemporary issues such as climate change, international water disputes, and cooperation. Throughout her impressive career, she has held esteemed positions at renowned institutions, including CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Dharamshastra National Law University (DNLU), and the National Green Tribunal, Principal Bench, New Delhi. Ms. Siddiqui’s dedication and commitment to her field have been recognized with prestigious honors, such as the President of India, Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma Gold Medal, The Innes Prize, The Carmicheal Prize, and The V. Suresham Memorial Award, all of which she earned during her master’s program at the esteemed University of Madras, Chennai. As an avid researcher, Ms. Siddiqui has authored and co-authored numerous book chapters and articles, many of which are indexed in Scopus. Her expertise in legal matters and her insights into current affairs have garnered widespread recognition and she is a regular contributor to leading national newspapers and forums, including The Deccan Herald, The Hindu, Economic Political Weekly, Financial Express, among others.Gnana Sanga Mithra S. is currently serving as an Associate Professor at Vinayaka Mission’s Law School (VMLS), Vinayaka Mission’s Research Foundation (Deemed to be University), Chennai. She is an accomplished scholar in the field of Sociology, particularly specializing in Transgender Studies and Gender Studies.Throughout her career, she has made significant contributions to research, with numerous papers published in Scopus Indexed journals. Her accolades further underscore her research prowess, including receiving the Raman Research Cash Award from VIT and being recognized as a Situational Leader in the educational sector by Ooruni Foundation, Chennai.Her expertise has been sought after by organizations such as the TN Forest Department, where she acted as a project consultant for a scheme funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Her research projects have been supported by seed grants from VMRF, demonstrating her capability to secure funding and carry out impactful research. She has an editorial role in the Humanities and Social Science Journal and is a reviewer for Frontiers and Taylor & Francis journals.

• 1. Securing Water, Empowering Women: A Study of ‘Jal Saheli’ and ‘Pani Panchayat’ as Water Conservation Models in Drought-Prone Bundelkhand Saumya Verma2. Comparative Analysis of Legal Responses to Industrial Pollution of Rivers: Strategies for Mitigating Environmental Impacts Across Asian Countries with Special Reference to India Abraham S. and Swati V.3. (Geopolitical) Water: Sovereignty, Equity, and The Limits of Global Water Governance Frameworks Hari Godara4. The Role of International Law in Water Governance Between India and China Neeraj Singh Manhas, Hari Yadav G., Neha Manhas and Jayati Raval5. The Role of Narratives in the India-China Water Dispute Neeraj Singh Manhas, Pintu Kumar Mahla, Arpan A Chakravarty and Aishwarya Singh Raikwar6. Indigenous Voices in River Conservation: Legal Barriers and Pathways in India Kasturi Bhagat7. Re-shaping Hydro-diplomacy: India’s Role in South Asian Water Politics Sreshtha Chakraborty and Nupur Kumari8. Clean Water as a Fundamental Human Right in India: Challenges and Solutions Tilak Raj Sharma and Vikash Sharma9. Assessing the Role of Self-Help Groups in Empowering Single Mothers through River-based Livelihoods in Chennai Aarthy Jonathan Kennedy, Shoba Jasmin K. S. and Anju Mohan10. Rivers of Justice: Navigating Maritime Arbitration Practices in India Pallab Das, Sanjampreet Singh and Dhruv Kalia11. Flowing Beyond Binaries: Exploring Gender Fluidity and Identity through Trans-ecology Anee Bhattacharyya12. From Anthropocentrism to Ecocentrism: The Legal Journey of the Asia-Pacific Region and Indian Judiciary’s Tryst with Rights of Rivers Somabha Bandopadhay and Jina Im13. Navigating the Legal and Political Currents of the Mahadayi Dispute Vaibhavi Rane and Mohit Sukhtankar14. Kaptai Dam as the Lake of Tears: An Injustice to the Jummas’ Rights Fahim Abrar Abid and Mahbuba Kamal15. Liminal Spaces and Riverine Lives: Third-Space Theory in The Boatman of the PadmaArnab Das and Manjusha C. B.16. Alternate Dispute Resolution in Water Conflicts with Special Reference to India: Navigating Rights and Resources Shubham Shukla, Shobhitabh Srivastava and Kunal Rohira17. Enhancing India’s Legal Framework for Transboundary Water Governance: The Role of Spatial Overlap Assessment in Policy Scaling Amrita Nambiar18. Leveraging ESG Principles for Effective Mitigation of Urban Water Pollution in Bangalore Anuja Paul, Vahibaya Khali and Kartik Agre19. Teesta River Diplomacy: Challenges and Opportunities in Transboundary Water Governance Between India and Bangladesh Vijeta Verma, Tanvi Sharma, Aryan Clement, Aiswarya Sai and Christos Aidan Samuel20. Protecting the Traditional Knowledge of Coastal Communities for Climate Resilience Anurag Sarthi and Gabriela Michael21. Surviving the Annual Yamuna Flood: Communities in Yamuna Bank and Kalindi Kunj, Delhi NCR Anukriti Sharma and Nidhi Kulkarni22. Realizing the Right to Clean Water in India: Legal Obligations, Policy Frameworks, and Ground Realities Suryansh Tripathi and Swain Alekh Ranjan23. The Ganges Treaty at a Crossroads: Reconsidering International Water Law Principles for Future Cooperation Masrur Salekin and Mst. Nila Khatun24. Water Privatization and Public Rights: Balancing Efficiency, Equity, and Access to a Fundamental Human Right Aaratrika Pandey, Hartej Singh Kochher and Anjali Yadav25. AI in River Monitoring: Legal Perspectives on Ownership and Governance of AI-Generated Data Chesha P. Chellappan26. Inter-River Water Allocation and Conflict: A Study of Competing Constitutional Dialogue and Legislative Framework in India V. Balakista Reddy, Neha Tripathi and Aditi Nidhi27. Inequitable Water Distribution: Socio-Legal Implications of Krishna River Allocation on Agricultural Labour in Andhra Pradesh Krishna Kishore Padala and Madhu Bala R.28. Assessing the Legal Mechanism of Integrated River Basin Management Systems in the Ganga and Pamba Basins Ananya Saroha and Daksh Saroha29. River Management and Conservation in India through the Lens of Participatory Democracy Mathews P. George, Sushma George Mathew and Aavani R. C.30. Livelihood, Rituals, and Resilience: The Riverine Experiences of the Vannar Community in Tamil Nadu Suriya S., Anee Bhattacharyya and R. Arul Selvan31. Mining the Mahanadi: The Contested Terrain of Coal Extraction, Ecological Sustainability, and Community Rights in Eastern India Shrey Kapoor, Mrinalini Banerjee and Abhay Singh32. Transboundary Waters Under Pressure: Climate Risks and the Indus Water Treaty Renuka and Showkat Ahmad Wani33. Rivers of Discord: The Ganga-Teesta Water Disputes and the Politics of River Diplomacy Anugrah Pratap Singh Rajawat, Vishambhar Raghuwanshi and Vidhita Rakhe34. Revolutionizing Access to Clean Water Through ICT in Underdeveloped Nations: A Policy Study Bijoy Sharma and Saji Sivan S.35. Balancing Ecological Conservation with Tribal Livelihoods: A Secondary Data Analysis of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve and Bhavani Basin in Tamil Nadu Sathyapriya B. and K. Sathyamurthi36. Debating Legal Rights of Rivers Najeed Naved Siddiqui, Amisha Dash and Mirza Shaaz Beg37. Water Footprint and Virtual Water as Regulatory Tools for India P. Sakthivel and K. Mohanakrishnan38. Gendered Access to Water: Inequalities and Policy Gaps in Water Management Garima Pahwa and Minakshi Bansal39. Negotiating Rivers, Law and Boundaries: Towards a More Nuanced Understanding of River Management for the Sustainability Era Tiina Paloniitty40. The Yamuna River Pollution Crisis Post-G20 Clean-Up Efforts Shrabani Kar, Pratiti Nayak, Sonali Swetapadma, Swati Mohapatra and Shubham Shakti