Socio-hydrology: A key approach for adaptation to water scarcity and achieving human well-being in large riverine islands

Rapid global changes (population growth, urbanization and frequent extreme weather conditions) have cumulatively affected local water bodies and resulted in unfavorable hydrological, ecological, and environmental changes in the major river systems. Particularly, communities in isolated riverine islands are heavily affected due to their poor adaptive capacities, which is well documented in the contemporary literature. The focal point for the vulnerability of these people lies in the water resources (drinking water availability, agricultural water quality, salt-water intrusion, flooding etc.) and the future interaction between human and water systems. This paper advocates the importance of socio-hydrological research in the context of enhancing social adaptive capacity as well as for developing a resilient water environment in three very large riverine islands in Asia:…