Embedded Files
I have always been at loggerhead with my fellow ‘Environmental Scientists’ and ‘Sociologists’ on the necessities of Dams, particularly in India. One reason of this conflict that I always thought is the fact that I come from an Engineering background which essentially tries to create resources for the greater good. While striving towards achieving the sustainable development goals, tapping rivers to generate clean energy, ensuring water supply, flood risk mitigation, etc. has much larger benefits which many ‘occasionally’ fail to see or ‘frequently’ deny to admit.
Here is a beautiful piece of article which briefly touches all these aspects.
"Main causes for the falling water level in rivers were a heavy run-off of the top soil in the upland areas and the siltation in the rivers. The top soil in the hills and upland areas had got removed in the flash floods to a depth of up to two metres in many places. When the top soil was shaved off, it ruined the hills’ capacity to sponge in rainwater."
"There is an imperative need for harnessing and utilizing riverwater for irrigation supplies, generation of power and flood control on a sustained basis through various development projects."
"Climate is changing and there are reasons to believe that it will change in future also. An interlinking project is hydrologically feasible if the water demands in a deficit area can’t be met from its own resources even after exploring various options (improving water use efficiency, recycling, etc.) and some surplus water is available in the donor basin."
- Dr. Sharad K. Jain (Director, NIH)
Does this mean groundwater pumping will not have any ill effect on alluvial aquifer of Gangetic plain? Is this even a sustainable way to augment flow in the Ganges river?
The researchers tested water samples from 13,000 wells from 199 villages on the Indian side and 17,567 wells from 184 villages on the Pakistan side.
The study proves the general perception of extreme rainfall induced runoff being too high to accommodate irrespective of reservoir regulations.
"Jaggi Vasudev's pious sentiments and the trees planted by his supporters won't save rivers. They are a pleasant sop to the conscience of the well-intentioned yet ill-informed. And a photo-op for corporates. As the last empty bottle of Bisleri bounces out of the window of the motorcade, the rally moves on. And our rivers remain unsaved."
-Prof. Amita Baviskar
According to "RallyforRivers" campaign the simplest solution to rejuvenate India’s rivers is to maintain a minimum of one kilometer tree cover on riversides. Good intention with incomplete knowledge hardly helps. Sadly, rejuvenating rivers are not that so simple as envisaged by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev.
"Increase in population has, of course, contributed to the situation reaching these dire straits, but a closer look will reveal gross mismanagement and neglect by governments, coupled with an unbridled destruction of resources as if there is no tomorrow."
"Just as countries talk of a low-carbon economy to reduce fossil fuel dependency and mitigate the threats of climate change, India must lead the way now as a low-water economy. We have to re-imagine and overhaul water consumption patterns to optimise every drop, across all competing uses — agriculture, industry, and urban and rural domestic needs."
"Managing Asian rivers is not just about water management but also about silt management. "
". . . strategy relies on the physics of how water scatters and absorbs microwaves. "
"As watershed models become more sophisticated, modelling has become more than ever, an art rather than a science. "
"The monitoring of groundwater quantity, quality and use is a prime example. Despite having four separate central bodies regulating groundwater, there is no single groundwater database for the entire country."
"Transboundary water sharing may re-define the relationships among neighboring countries in Southeast Asia."
"Jingoism around Indus treaty with Pakistan seems more like an attempt at sending threatening signals. But it will have multiple serious ramifications in any case, so it is worth deliberating about."
“Farmers from Uttar Pradesh come in the night and try to open the gates of the dam to get water. We stop them. They have tried attacking us but have not been successful. They are scared of guns,” says Bahadur Singh Yadav, who guards the dam armed with a 12 bore rifle.
"Many treaties on transboundary waters probably need to be revised in line with the new climate change data and maybe be a bit more flexible to cope with the extreme weather events."
"If urban areas are to cope with mushrooming populations, they'll need new ways to manage water."
"Retaining rainwater through ponds, check dams and farm embankments will quench Bundelkhand’s thirst far better than a grand river linking scheme based on dodgy assumptions on water availability. "
"Alternatives such as curbing demand by efficient utilisation of existing water resources should be prioritised before making big-ticket investments in river interlinking."
"Flood control should be given overriding consideration in the reservoir regulation policy even at the cost of sacrificing some irrigation and power benefits in highly flood-prone areas."
-Odisha State Water Policy 2007
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse