Members of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan write to Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways
Members of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan, a civil society consortium working in the area of restoration of the Yamuna and its various tributaries, has written to Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Dr. C. P. Joshi stating that “they were alarmed by the fact that the Ministry had recently sanctioned proposals from the Delhi Government to turn a few of the city drains into roads''.
“A case in point is a sanction of Rs.4,523 lakh to construct a road over 52 cusec drain from Mandoli Road to Drain No. 1 near Jafarabad in Shahdara (North) Zone. It is also no secret that Delhi is today known for rampant flooding in its low lying areas resulting from poorly planned and laid roads many of which have cut the natural drainage system of the city. In such a scenario the storm water drains in the city manage to keep it safe from flooding during the monsoon season. Accordingly these drains play a life line role for the city and closing them would mean trouble for the Capital,'' said Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan convener Manoj Misra.
The group has suggested that the drains be secured by law against encroachment and waste dumping and then converted into green and blue spaces in the form of secure open waterways enclosed with greenery in their flood zones.
“Delhi is the first city on the Yamuna and it is a city with an undulating terrain as a result of which both West and East Delhi have many natural storm water drains. In countries all over the world, the natural storm water drains are treated with much care and their integrity maintained through laws and regulations. Unfortunately no such mechanism is in place in our country and it is left to the municipalities to deal with them. In many places, most unfortunately, these drains have been covered and turned into roads without realising that such an action is no less than an invitation to double disaster,'' noted the letter.
Noting that covering of these drain increases the risk of flooding and the other is that there remains a strong possibility of such roads subsiding in due course, Mr. Misra said: “Wherever these drains are they also carry sewage and waste water and covering them would turn these drains into a gas chamber (no matter how many gas outlets one may create) and increase the toxic concentration (in absence of adequate oxygenation of the water in the drain) of the water flowing therein.''
Members of the Abhiyaan also noted that in the short term such covering of drains into roads provide a cleaner and sanitised look and might improve some connectivity in the city. “But let us not forget that all this is a short term solution with long term ecological damage and grave dangers of avoidable flooding and structural collapse. We hope that due attention will be awarded to the concerns of the environmentalists,'' noted the letter.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Activists to highlight cause of ‘lost river’ on Yamuna Jayanti (Hindustan Times 28 March 2012)
Nivedita Khandekar
Religio-environmentalists of the Braj region are planning to assemble on the banks of the Yamuna in Hathnikund, 200km north of Delhi, for the cause of the ‘lost river’ on the occasion of Yamuna Jayanti on Wednesday. There will also be silent demonstrations at various locations in Delhi to
draw the attention of the authorities to the plight of the river.
Braj, whose area is approximately 3,800 sq km, lies along the Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh and comprises important pilgrimages such as Vrindavan, Barsana, Nandgaon, Govardhan and Kosi, all associated with Lord Krishna. Approximately 40 million pilgrims visit these places annually.
“The Yamuna is an integral part of Braj and its culture. Brajwasis want to see for themselves how their river has gone missing,” said Ravi Monga, who belongs to a hermitage in Barsana, near Mathura.
Immediately downstream of the Wazirabad barrage, sewer drains empty into the Yamuna, turning it into a drain for a large part of the year.
The official statistics show Delhi has only 2% of the length of the Yamuna but contributes to 90% of its pollution.
The Yamuna Jayanti is on the sixth day of the waxing phase of the moon of the Indian month of Chaitra (mid-March to mid-April). After celebrations in Vrindavan, the devotees will reach Hathnikund near Yamunanagar in Haryana, Monga said.
They will perform puja and other rituals at the Hathnikund barrage and reach Delhi by Thursday to stage silent protests at ISBT, ITO, Nizamuddin and DND bridges.
“Shall this be a wake-up call for the relevant authorities? Let no one remain in doubt … for the thunder may today be distant but it is approaching,” warned Manoj Mishra, convener of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan.
Religio-environmentalists of the Braj region are planning to assemble on the banks of the Yamuna in Hathnikund, 200km north of Delhi, for the cause of the ‘lost river’ on the occasion of Yamuna Jayanti on Wednesday. There will also be silent demonstrations at various locations in Delhi to
draw the attention of the authorities to the plight of the river.
Braj, whose area is approximately 3,800 sq km, lies along the Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh and comprises important pilgrimages such as Vrindavan, Barsana, Nandgaon, Govardhan and Kosi, all associated with Lord Krishna. Approximately 40 million pilgrims visit these places annually.
“The Yamuna is an integral part of Braj and its culture. Brajwasis want to see for themselves how their river has gone missing,” said Ravi Monga, who belongs to a hermitage in Barsana, near Mathura.
Immediately downstream of the Wazirabad barrage, sewer drains empty into the Yamuna, turning it into a drain for a large part of the year.
The official statistics show Delhi has only 2% of the length of the Yamuna but contributes to 90% of its pollution.
The Yamuna Jayanti is on the sixth day of the waxing phase of the moon of the Indian month of Chaitra (mid-March to mid-April). After celebrations in Vrindavan, the devotees will reach Hathnikund near Yamunanagar in Haryana, Monga said.
They will perform puja and other rituals at the Hathnikund barrage and reach Delhi by Thursday to stage silent protests at ISBT, ITO, Nizamuddin and DND bridges.
“Shall this be a wake-up call for the relevant authorities? Let no one remain in doubt … for the thunder may today be distant but it is approaching,” warned Manoj Mishra, convener of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
यमुना के पारिस्थितीयतंत्र के बारे में जाना (Dainik Jagran 15 March 2012)
यमुना के पारिस्थितीयतंत्र के बारे में जाना
विकासनगर: राजकीय उच्चतर माध्यमिक विद्यालय कटापत्थर में गठित यमुना ईको स्कोलर के छात्र-छात्राओं के दल ने कटापत्थर क्षेत्र का शैशिक भ्रमण किया।
इस दौरान छात्रों को यमुना स्वच्छता समिति के पदाधिकारियों ने यमुना के पारिस्थितीय तंत्र के बारे में बताया। समिति के पदाधिकारी रघुवीर सिंह तोमर ने छात्रों को नदी के घटकों जलागम क्षेत्र, सहायक नदी, बाढ़ क्षेत्र, लहराव, जलीय-स्थलीय पेड़-पौधों और जीव-जंतुओं के बारे में बताया। उन्होंने छात्रों को बताया कि कोई भी नदी तब तक स्वच्छ व स्वस्थ नहीं हो सकती जब तक नदी के सभी घटकों की स्थिति ठीक न हो। उन्होंने बताया कि यमुना नदी के संकट के पीछे नदी पारिस्थितीय तंत्र को समग्र तौर पर नहीं देखना है। बच्चों को घराट के बारे भी बताया गया। शिक्षक गंभीर सिंह और पुष्पा कोठियाल के नेतृत्व में बच्चों ने शैक्षिक भ्रमण किया। दल में सागर तोमर, बिट्टू थापा, दिनेश बिष्ट, अनिल कुमार, विपिन, संजय कुमार, विनीता, पूनम, अनीता व प्रभा शामिल थीं।
विकासनगर: राजकीय उच्चतर माध्यमिक विद्यालय कटापत्थर में गठित यमुना ईको स्कोलर के छात्र-छात्राओं के दल ने कटापत्थर क्षेत्र का शैशिक भ्रमण किया।
इस दौरान छात्रों को यमुना स्वच्छता समिति के पदाधिकारियों ने यमुना के पारिस्थितीय तंत्र के बारे में बताया। समिति के पदाधिकारी रघुवीर सिंह तोमर ने छात्रों को नदी के घटकों जलागम क्षेत्र, सहायक नदी, बाढ़ क्षेत्र, लहराव, जलीय-स्थलीय पेड़-पौधों और जीव-जंतुओं के बारे में बताया। उन्होंने छात्रों को बताया कि कोई भी नदी तब तक स्वच्छ व स्वस्थ नहीं हो सकती जब तक नदी के सभी घटकों की स्थिति ठीक न हो। उन्होंने बताया कि यमुना नदी के संकट के पीछे नदी पारिस्थितीय तंत्र को समग्र तौर पर नहीं देखना है। बच्चों को घराट के बारे भी बताया गया। शिक्षक गंभीर सिंह और पुष्पा कोठियाल के नेतृत्व में बच्चों ने शैक्षिक भ्रमण किया। दल में सागर तोमर, बिट्टू थापा, दिनेश बिष्ट, अनिल कुमार, विपिन, संजय कुमार, विनीता, पूनम, अनीता व प्रभा शामिल थीं।
Ammonia level rises in Yamuna, 2 plants shut down (Times of India 14 March 2012)
NEW DELHI: Chandrawal and Wazirabad water treatment plants were shut for production in the early hours of Tuesday due to a high level of pollution in the water. A rise in the level of ammonia from a permissible 0.5 mg to 1 mg prompted Delhi Jal Board to ask residents to boil drinking water.
"At 6am, we had to shut down both plants that supply water to north, northwest, south and NDMC areas. However, the situation had improved significantly by 5pm when partial operations were resumed. Supply will be normalized by Wednesday morning," said a DJB official.
The problem started when Haryana released water for Delhi into the Yamuna where water levels had been quite low. "Usually Haryana supplies water up to the Wazirabad Barrage through drain no 8 and not the main river channel. However,Haryana had not been maintaining the channel properly and due to a possible plant growth inside, the amount of water coming to Delhi had reduced. When we brought this to Haryana's notice, it took up maintenance of the drain but since it has to maintain a certain level of water at the Wazirabad pond, it started releasing water into the main river," said an official.
The sudden flow dislodged industrial pollutants that had been collecting in the dry river for the past few months. These pollutants travelled to Delhi with the water and their levels were too high to be treated by DJB. "Haryana Irrigation Department was requested to release additional quantity of water at Munak to dilute the concentration of pollutants," said an official.
"At 6am, we had to shut down both plants that supply water to north, northwest, south and NDMC areas. However, the situation had improved significantly by 5pm when partial operations were resumed. Supply will be normalized by Wednesday morning," said a DJB official.
The problem started when Haryana released water for Delhi into the Yamuna where water levels had been quite low. "Usually Haryana supplies water up to the Wazirabad Barrage through drain no 8 and not the main river channel. However,Haryana had not been maintaining the channel properly and due to a possible plant growth inside, the amount of water coming to Delhi had reduced. When we brought this to Haryana's notice, it took up maintenance of the drain but since it has to maintain a certain level of water at the Wazirabad pond, it started releasing water into the main river," said an official.
The sudden flow dislodged industrial pollutants that had been collecting in the dry river for the past few months. These pollutants travelled to Delhi with the water and their levels were too high to be treated by DJB. "Haryana Irrigation Department was requested to release additional quantity of water at Munak to dilute the concentration of pollutants," said an official.
Make a drain of a river, throw crores down it (Hindustan Times 12 March 2012)
Shivani Singh
Eighteen years ago, the Supreme Court took note of a news report published in Hindustan Times on the dirty Yamuna. Two weeks back, a bench headed by the Chief Justice of India spoke of its intention to pass orders to stop discharge of untreated sewage into the river. But before that, the court
wanted an update on the case and asked the agencies involved to file status reports.
One cannot fault the court if it has struggled to keep pace with the developments in this 18-year-long fiasco. Much of Delhi’s population was born after the death of the river. I probably belong to the last of the generations that saw Yamuna flowing. In the early ’80s, when my family stayed in east Delhi for a year, I used to take the ITO Bridge to school and watch the river ripple.
I moved to Indirapuram five years ago. My car windows are usually rolled up as I cross two kilometres of Nizamuddin Bridge on my daily commute to work and back. You can barely see the river but it stinks. In fact, most new residents of Delhi have known Yamuna as a large toxic sewer. Thanks to hyperventilating TV reports, they also fear a deluge of the Waterworld variety every monsoon when the riverbed fills up with rainwater.
The Yamuna fiasco tells a damning story of inept administration and blinkered policies. In the last 20 years, the government has spent more than Rs1,300 crore to clean the river. There was little accountability since there was no real deadline. The last time irregularities were pointed out was in 2004 when a CAG report found that Rs800 crore spent on the Yamuna project has gone down the drain.
Hundreds of crores of taxpayers’ money was spent on setting up 17 sewage treatment plants that remained underutilised for years in the absence of pipelines to carry effluents to these centres. The latest solution — an Interceptor Sewer Network, worth another Rs1,900 crore, to tap and transport the sewage generated in Delhi to the STPs — has been questioned by experts on many counts.
They claim that the entire exercise and expense incurred will be futile since the network will transport not more than 65 per cent of the waste generated in Delhi. Presence of the 35 per cent untreated waste in the water means it will be fit only for horticulture and, contrary to the government’s promise before the apex court in 2001, not for bathing.
Experts say that the river cannot be restored to bathing quality without releasing fresh water in it. Yamuna is already dead when it reaches Delhi, drained of all its fresh water stored upstream. In Delhi, the river receives only sewage except the excess water released from dams upstream during the monsoon.
To channel more fresh water in the river, the water-sharing agreement between Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh will need a renegotiation. It would also require Delhi residents to ration their water use and leave some for the river. All of this requires political will. But poll promises have not gone beyond setting up of tourist spots on the riverfront.
The lessons from the Thames clean-up project seem lost on our bureaucrats who frequently visit London to “study” the model.
While we missed one deadline after another, the UK authorities dredged a 3.5-km stretch of the river Lea, a Thames tributary, in 2009 in just three months. To tackle sewer overflow, London has started boring a four-mile-long underground tunnel this January. The deadline it set? 2013.
In Delhi, Commonwealth Games 2010 was set as a working deadline for cleaning up the Yamuna. All we got was still more construction on the riverbed.
Eighteen years ago, the Supreme Court took note of a news report published in Hindustan Times on the dirty Yamuna. Two weeks back, a bench headed by the Chief Justice of India spoke of its intention to pass orders to stop discharge of untreated sewage into the river. But before that, the court
wanted an update on the case and asked the agencies involved to file status reports.
One cannot fault the court if it has struggled to keep pace with the developments in this 18-year-long fiasco. Much of Delhi’s population was born after the death of the river. I probably belong to the last of the generations that saw Yamuna flowing. In the early ’80s, when my family stayed in east Delhi for a year, I used to take the ITO Bridge to school and watch the river ripple.
I moved to Indirapuram five years ago. My car windows are usually rolled up as I cross two kilometres of Nizamuddin Bridge on my daily commute to work and back. You can barely see the river but it stinks. In fact, most new residents of Delhi have known Yamuna as a large toxic sewer. Thanks to hyperventilating TV reports, they also fear a deluge of the Waterworld variety every monsoon when the riverbed fills up with rainwater.
The Yamuna fiasco tells a damning story of inept administration and blinkered policies. In the last 20 years, the government has spent more than Rs1,300 crore to clean the river. There was little accountability since there was no real deadline. The last time irregularities were pointed out was in 2004 when a CAG report found that Rs800 crore spent on the Yamuna project has gone down the drain.
Hundreds of crores of taxpayers’ money was spent on setting up 17 sewage treatment plants that remained underutilised for years in the absence of pipelines to carry effluents to these centres. The latest solution — an Interceptor Sewer Network, worth another Rs1,900 crore, to tap and transport the sewage generated in Delhi to the STPs — has been questioned by experts on many counts.
They claim that the entire exercise and expense incurred will be futile since the network will transport not more than 65 per cent of the waste generated in Delhi. Presence of the 35 per cent untreated waste in the water means it will be fit only for horticulture and, contrary to the government’s promise before the apex court in 2001, not for bathing.
Experts say that the river cannot be restored to bathing quality without releasing fresh water in it. Yamuna is already dead when it reaches Delhi, drained of all its fresh water stored upstream. In Delhi, the river receives only sewage except the excess water released from dams upstream during the monsoon.
To channel more fresh water in the river, the water-sharing agreement between Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh will need a renegotiation. It would also require Delhi residents to ration their water use and leave some for the river. All of this requires political will. But poll promises have not gone beyond setting up of tourist spots on the riverfront.
The lessons from the Thames clean-up project seem lost on our bureaucrats who frequently visit London to “study” the model.
While we missed one deadline after another, the UK authorities dredged a 3.5-km stretch of the river Lea, a Thames tributary, in 2009 in just three months. To tackle sewer overflow, London has started boring a four-mile-long underground tunnel this January. The deadline it set? 2013.
In Delhi, Commonwealth Games 2010 was set as a working deadline for cleaning up the Yamuna. All we got was still more construction on the riverbed.
Monday, March 12, 2012
River-engineering and the courts (Hindu 12 March 2012)
The Hindu THE SPILLOVER: A national debate involving all stakeholders is essential before undertaking the implementation of a national project like river-linking. The picture is of the Krishna at the Prakasam Barrage in Andhra Pradesh. Photo: CH Vijaya Bhaskar
The concept of judicial infallibility is valid, but a legal pronouncement need not always be the last word on a given subject.
The article in The Hindu by Ramaswamy R. Iyer, “With all due respect, My Lords,” on March 2, a critical study of the ruling of the Supreme Court giving certain directions under the authority of Article 141, relating to inter-linking of rivers was noteworthy. And his request to reconsider the decision deserves serious consideration.
What the Supreme Court decides is final not because it is infallible; it is infallible because it is constitutionally final and structurally supreme. If ignorance is made final, governance becomes chaos. That is why the Montesquieuan theory of the trinity of instrumentalities is accepted by many Constitutions across the world, including the Indian Constitution. What is in the realm of the Executive is decided by the Executive. What is legislative, in the shape of law, is decided by the Legislature. When there is a dispute over a fact or law, the decision of the court is final, and all the other branches of the structure are bound by the judicial decision.
From this perspective, river disputes fall within the jurisdiction of the judiciary. But, for instance, how high an aircraft should fly without the possibility of danger, or how a safe dam should be constructed to store water, are matters highly technical, and hence these do not belong to jurisprudence or judges.
I was once a Minister for Irrigation and Electricity (in Kerala) and started projects on the advice of engineers. The court never interfered, nor could they. There may be some areas where submergence by a river may cause risks — and on the basis of clear technical advice a court may pronounce an order. The jurisdictional borders of the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary are fairly clear, and one of them cannot interfere with the other. Viewed from this angle, I agree with Mr. Ramaswamy Iyer's critical observations.
Judges, merely because they wear robes, cannot decide on the course of rivers, whether they should be linked or not, and if at all, how they should be linked — just as they cannot decide on matters to do with the safety of flights or other such technical issues. Judges are not infallible; and they cannot issue executive directions or promulgate legal mandates or punitive impositions in such contexts.
‘Hasten slowly'
The central flaw of the Supreme Court's verdict on the inter-linking issue is the failure to realise that a pan-Indian river project may have dangerous limitations. The Ganga and the Cauvery are two great rivers, but they cannot be linked up without first making a careful and exhaustive study of the various features of the terrain through which they flow over a vast territory of India. Otherwise, it may well end up as a horrendous blunder, irreparable after the decision is operationalised. A national debate involving also the great engineers, especially river engineers, that we have is essential before undertaking the implementation of a national project such as this.
The Supreme Court is indeed infallible, but while in its jural specialties it may well be top of the league, it is largely innocent in matters to do with mighty river-engineering. Therefore, great caution with all the wisdom at our command, must first be used to study the implications and the perils of this Himalayan-scale project before implementing a juristic wonder beyond what the Supreme Court has so lightly directed. Where the implications are too great to grasp and the consequences may be beyond repair, “hasten slowly” will be a good piece advice. Never assume that the robed wisdom that is good for jurisprudence will not land us in dangerous waters.
Therefore, never be in a hurry. Study every dimension of this huge project.
When the project was announced a decade ago in 2002, one section of public opinion supported it, and another opposed its implementation. It is without taking any note of the conflicting public opinion that the present binding directions have been issued by the court.
(V.R. Krishna Iyer was a Judge of the Supreme Court of India.)
The concept of judicial infallibility is valid, but a legal pronouncement need not always be the last word on a given subject.
The article in The Hindu by Ramaswamy R. Iyer, “With all due respect, My Lords,” on March 2, a critical study of the ruling of the Supreme Court giving certain directions under the authority of Article 141, relating to inter-linking of rivers was noteworthy. And his request to reconsider the decision deserves serious consideration.
What the Supreme Court decides is final not because it is infallible; it is infallible because it is constitutionally final and structurally supreme. If ignorance is made final, governance becomes chaos. That is why the Montesquieuan theory of the trinity of instrumentalities is accepted by many Constitutions across the world, including the Indian Constitution. What is in the realm of the Executive is decided by the Executive. What is legislative, in the shape of law, is decided by the Legislature. When there is a dispute over a fact or law, the decision of the court is final, and all the other branches of the structure are bound by the judicial decision.
From this perspective, river disputes fall within the jurisdiction of the judiciary. But, for instance, how high an aircraft should fly without the possibility of danger, or how a safe dam should be constructed to store water, are matters highly technical, and hence these do not belong to jurisprudence or judges.
I was once a Minister for Irrigation and Electricity (in Kerala) and started projects on the advice of engineers. The court never interfered, nor could they. There may be some areas where submergence by a river may cause risks — and on the basis of clear technical advice a court may pronounce an order. The jurisdictional borders of the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary are fairly clear, and one of them cannot interfere with the other. Viewed from this angle, I agree with Mr. Ramaswamy Iyer's critical observations.
Judges, merely because they wear robes, cannot decide on the course of rivers, whether they should be linked or not, and if at all, how they should be linked — just as they cannot decide on matters to do with the safety of flights or other such technical issues. Judges are not infallible; and they cannot issue executive directions or promulgate legal mandates or punitive impositions in such contexts.
‘Hasten slowly'
The central flaw of the Supreme Court's verdict on the inter-linking issue is the failure to realise that a pan-Indian river project may have dangerous limitations. The Ganga and the Cauvery are two great rivers, but they cannot be linked up without first making a careful and exhaustive study of the various features of the terrain through which they flow over a vast territory of India. Otherwise, it may well end up as a horrendous blunder, irreparable after the decision is operationalised. A national debate involving also the great engineers, especially river engineers, that we have is essential before undertaking the implementation of a national project such as this.
The Supreme Court is indeed infallible, but while in its jural specialties it may well be top of the league, it is largely innocent in matters to do with mighty river-engineering. Therefore, great caution with all the wisdom at our command, must first be used to study the implications and the perils of this Himalayan-scale project before implementing a juristic wonder beyond what the Supreme Court has so lightly directed. Where the implications are too great to grasp and the consequences may be beyond repair, “hasten slowly” will be a good piece advice. Never assume that the robed wisdom that is good for jurisprudence will not land us in dangerous waters.
Therefore, never be in a hurry. Study every dimension of this huge project.
When the project was announced a decade ago in 2002, one section of public opinion supported it, and another opposed its implementation. It is without taking any note of the conflicting public opinion that the present binding directions have been issued by the court.
(V.R. Krishna Iyer was a Judge of the Supreme Court of India.)
Sunday, March 4, 2012
A river sutra, without links (The Hindu 3 March 2012)
See the PDF for a higher resolution of the image.
There are less disruptive and cheaper alternatives than connecting rivers to reduce the misery of floods and droughts.
On February 27 while giving the go-ahead to the controversial project of inter-linking of rivers, the Supreme Court specifically mentioned the benefits — flood control and drought moderation As plans for inter-basin transfers of water across vast distances, from surplus to deficit areas, appear to have got a lot of attraction for a country exposed all too often to droughts and floods, these need to be seriously evaluated and debated. As such while large-scale transfers of water can be expensive, we should also explore whether there are cheaper and better alternatives.
The idea of inter-basin transfers is based on the assumption that certain surplus (flood-prone) and deficit (drought-prone) areas exist so that water is readily available without any objection to transfer from the former to the latter. But in practice, people in so-called surplus areas do not agree that they have spare water which can be transferred to other, faraway areas.
At a time when there are problems relating to the sharing of waters, transfer of water across distant areas can easily aggravate these tensions. This should be avoided.
Issue of climate change
Any neat division between “deficit” and “surplus” areas becomes more of a problem in these times of climate change when erratic weather patterns are more frequently seen. Some time ago we had a curious situation when arid, deficit parts of western India (including Rajasthan) had excess rain and experienced floods while flood-prone parts of eastern India (including Assam) had drought-like conditions. If billions had already been spent to create an infra-structure from transferring surplus water from east to west, just imagine what a difficult situation would have arisen at the time of such erratic weather.
So the basic conditions of problem-free transfer of water from the country's “surplus” to “deficit” areas simply do not exist. The tensions are likely to be much greater when inter-basin transfers also involve neighbouring countries, a reality that cannot be avoided in the existing geography of national-level links as many rivers pass through other countries. As soon as the grand looking river-linking plans are transferred from paper to reality, we enter the real world of shifting rivers bringing enormous siltloads, landslides, hills, plateaus, seismic belts, gorges, ravines, bends and curves which make the task of large-scale transfer of water difficult, enormously expensive, energy-intensive and hazardous. If rivers had been created by engineers and not by nature, they would have flowed along predictable straight paths to suit our needs. But rivers do not generally like to abide by the wishes and commands of engineers. Even when the might of modern technology forces them to do so, they sometimes seek revenge in very destructive ways — breaking free and causing floods.
Of course no one has had the time and inclination to explore how the bio-diversity flourishing in a particular river system will react when it is linked to another river. But the problems faced by the vast majority who are adversely affected by dams and displacements of this gigantic river-linking project have to be faced surely and squarely.
This brings us to the question of whether safer, less disruptive and cheaper alternatives are available for reducing the distress of floods and droughts. Evidence suggests that even villages which experience very low rainfall, as in the desert areas of Rajasthan, have evolved a range of local methods of water conservation and collection which, if followed up carefully, take them towards water self-sufficiency to a large extent. It is true that in modern times there is pressure leading to the breakdown or inadequacy of some of these self-reliant systems. Nevertheless it can be said that a combination of traditional water-collection/conservation practices and other drought-proofing methods — which also use modern technology — still provides the best available answer (also the cheapest one) to water scarcity in drought-prone areas.
In the case of flood-prone areas we should not ignore the resilience of local communities where people learnt from early childhood how to cope with rising rivers. Their ability has been adversely affected by increasing drainage obstruction created by thoughtless “development” works because of which floods sometimes become more fierce, creating prolonged water logging. So what people really need is a good drainage plan — so that flood water clears quickly — combined with a package of livelihood, health, education and other support suited to the needs of flood-prone areas and communities. This will work out much cheaper and more effective than all the dams, diversions and embankments put together. So the question of what people of drought-prone areas and flood-prone areas really need should be taken in consultation with them. Do they want huge water diversions and transfers with all their dams and displacements, or do they prefer more funds for trusted, small-scale local solutions?
(The writer is a freelance journalist writing on development issues.)
There are less disruptive and cheaper alternatives than connecting rivers to reduce the misery of floods and droughts.
On February 27 while giving the go-ahead to the controversial project of inter-linking of rivers, the Supreme Court specifically mentioned the benefits — flood control and drought moderation As plans for inter-basin transfers of water across vast distances, from surplus to deficit areas, appear to have got a lot of attraction for a country exposed all too often to droughts and floods, these need to be seriously evaluated and debated. As such while large-scale transfers of water can be expensive, we should also explore whether there are cheaper and better alternatives.
The idea of inter-basin transfers is based on the assumption that certain surplus (flood-prone) and deficit (drought-prone) areas exist so that water is readily available without any objection to transfer from the former to the latter. But in practice, people in so-called surplus areas do not agree that they have spare water which can be transferred to other, faraway areas.
At a time when there are problems relating to the sharing of waters, transfer of water across distant areas can easily aggravate these tensions. This should be avoided.
Issue of climate change
Any neat division between “deficit” and “surplus” areas becomes more of a problem in these times of climate change when erratic weather patterns are more frequently seen. Some time ago we had a curious situation when arid, deficit parts of western India (including Rajasthan) had excess rain and experienced floods while flood-prone parts of eastern India (including Assam) had drought-like conditions. If billions had already been spent to create an infra-structure from transferring surplus water from east to west, just imagine what a difficult situation would have arisen at the time of such erratic weather.
So the basic conditions of problem-free transfer of water from the country's “surplus” to “deficit” areas simply do not exist. The tensions are likely to be much greater when inter-basin transfers also involve neighbouring countries, a reality that cannot be avoided in the existing geography of national-level links as many rivers pass through other countries. As soon as the grand looking river-linking plans are transferred from paper to reality, we enter the real world of shifting rivers bringing enormous siltloads, landslides, hills, plateaus, seismic belts, gorges, ravines, bends and curves which make the task of large-scale transfer of water difficult, enormously expensive, energy-intensive and hazardous. If rivers had been created by engineers and not by nature, they would have flowed along predictable straight paths to suit our needs. But rivers do not generally like to abide by the wishes and commands of engineers. Even when the might of modern technology forces them to do so, they sometimes seek revenge in very destructive ways — breaking free and causing floods.
Of course no one has had the time and inclination to explore how the bio-diversity flourishing in a particular river system will react when it is linked to another river. But the problems faced by the vast majority who are adversely affected by dams and displacements of this gigantic river-linking project have to be faced surely and squarely.
This brings us to the question of whether safer, less disruptive and cheaper alternatives are available for reducing the distress of floods and droughts. Evidence suggests that even villages which experience very low rainfall, as in the desert areas of Rajasthan, have evolved a range of local methods of water conservation and collection which, if followed up carefully, take them towards water self-sufficiency to a large extent. It is true that in modern times there is pressure leading to the breakdown or inadequacy of some of these self-reliant systems. Nevertheless it can be said that a combination of traditional water-collection/conservation practices and other drought-proofing methods — which also use modern technology — still provides the best available answer (also the cheapest one) to water scarcity in drought-prone areas.
In the case of flood-prone areas we should not ignore the resilience of local communities where people learnt from early childhood how to cope with rising rivers. Their ability has been adversely affected by increasing drainage obstruction created by thoughtless “development” works because of which floods sometimes become more fierce, creating prolonged water logging. So what people really need is a good drainage plan — so that flood water clears quickly — combined with a package of livelihood, health, education and other support suited to the needs of flood-prone areas and communities. This will work out much cheaper and more effective than all the dams, diversions and embankments put together. So the question of what people of drought-prone areas and flood-prone areas really need should be taken in consultation with them. Do they want huge water diversions and transfers with all their dams and displacements, or do they prefer more funds for trusted, small-scale local solutions?
(The writer is a freelance journalist writing on development issues.)
Haryana to pursue water issue at all levels (The Hindu 24 February 2012)
State is not getting its due share, says Governor
Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia delivering the customary address on the first day of the Budget session of the Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh on Thursday.Photo: Akhilesh Kumar
Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia on Thursday expressed concern over the issue of the State's legitimate share of water.
Describing Haryana as a water-deficit State, he said the situation had been further compounded as it was not getting its due share of river water.
Delivering the customary address on the first day of the Budget session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha here, he asserted that the State Government was committed to securing its “legitimate share of water by pursuing the matter at all levels”.
The focus was on efficient use of water through improved agriculture practices and use of technological interventions. It was proposed to line the sides of Western Yamuna Canal (Main Line Lower) and Western Yamuna Canal, Main Branch from Dadupur to Karnal, he added.
The project to repair, restore and renovate the Bibipur Lake in Kurukshetra district has been submitted to the Union Ministry of Water Resources and the State Government is actively pursuing the construction of up-stream storages on the Yamuna.
The Detailed Project Report of Mewat Feeder Canal for providing irrigation and drinking water facilities would be submitted to the NCR Planning Board for funding after its approval by the Central Water Commission.
Stating that agriculture was the foremost priority of the Government, he said that foodgrain production had reached 166.29 lakh tonnes during 2010-11 and Haryana was the second largest contributor to the national food basket.
New fish markets would be set up in Bahadurgarh and Gurgaon to strengthen the post-harvest infrastructure.
He further said that climate change concerns had added a new dimension to the energy sector. A nuclear power plant was being set up at village Gorakhpur in district Fatehabad for which land acquisition proceedings were on. The power generation projects are progressing well and the third unit of the Indira Gandhi Super Thermal Power Project at Jhajjar is expected to be commissioned by March. And the second unit of the Mahatma Gandhi Super Thermal Power Project is expected to be commissioned by July.
So far as industrialisation was concerned, the rate of implementation of the pledged investment in Haryana is the highest in the country. An investment of Rs.59,000 crore has been catalysed in the State since 2005 while investment of about Rs.96,000 crore is in the pipeline. The State has so far received foreign direct investment of Rs.13,128 crore while the total exports have increased from Rs.43,679 crore during 2009-10 to Rs.48,530 crore in 2010-11. A dialogue is on with NASSCOM for widening the base of IT industry by integrating IMT Manesar as an extension of Gurgaon, opening new areas as potential IT destinations within the National Capital Region and elsewhere in the State.
The Government is committed to improving and upgrading health services, he said, adding that the declining sex ratio and the status of girl child is an area of concern.
A total of six private universities have already been established and many more are in the pipeline. The State economy, the Governor added, has achieved a growth rate of 9.6 per cent in Gross State Domestic Product during 2010-11.Also, as per the advance estimates for the 2011-12, the per capita income is expected to be Rs. 1,09,227 at current prices.
Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia delivering the customary address on the first day of the Budget session of the Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh on Thursday.Photo: Akhilesh Kumar
Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia on Thursday expressed concern over the issue of the State's legitimate share of water.
Describing Haryana as a water-deficit State, he said the situation had been further compounded as it was not getting its due share of river water.
Delivering the customary address on the first day of the Budget session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha here, he asserted that the State Government was committed to securing its “legitimate share of water by pursuing the matter at all levels”.
The focus was on efficient use of water through improved agriculture practices and use of technological interventions. It was proposed to line the sides of Western Yamuna Canal (Main Line Lower) and Western Yamuna Canal, Main Branch from Dadupur to Karnal, he added.
The project to repair, restore and renovate the Bibipur Lake in Kurukshetra district has been submitted to the Union Ministry of Water Resources and the State Government is actively pursuing the construction of up-stream storages on the Yamuna.
The Detailed Project Report of Mewat Feeder Canal for providing irrigation and drinking water facilities would be submitted to the NCR Planning Board for funding after its approval by the Central Water Commission.
Stating that agriculture was the foremost priority of the Government, he said that foodgrain production had reached 166.29 lakh tonnes during 2010-11 and Haryana was the second largest contributor to the national food basket.
New fish markets would be set up in Bahadurgarh and Gurgaon to strengthen the post-harvest infrastructure.
He further said that climate change concerns had added a new dimension to the energy sector. A nuclear power plant was being set up at village Gorakhpur in district Fatehabad for which land acquisition proceedings were on. The power generation projects are progressing well and the third unit of the Indira Gandhi Super Thermal Power Project at Jhajjar is expected to be commissioned by March. And the second unit of the Mahatma Gandhi Super Thermal Power Project is expected to be commissioned by July.
So far as industrialisation was concerned, the rate of implementation of the pledged investment in Haryana is the highest in the country. An investment of Rs.59,000 crore has been catalysed in the State since 2005 while investment of about Rs.96,000 crore is in the pipeline. The State has so far received foreign direct investment of Rs.13,128 crore while the total exports have increased from Rs.43,679 crore during 2009-10 to Rs.48,530 crore in 2010-11. A dialogue is on with NASSCOM for widening the base of IT industry by integrating IMT Manesar as an extension of Gurgaon, opening new areas as potential IT destinations within the National Capital Region and elsewhere in the State.
The Government is committed to improving and upgrading health services, he said, adding that the declining sex ratio and the status of girl child is an area of concern.
A total of six private universities have already been established and many more are in the pipeline. The State economy, the Governor added, has achieved a growth rate of 9.6 per cent in Gross State Domestic Product during 2010-11.Also, as per the advance estimates for the 2011-12, the per capita income is expected to be Rs. 1,09,227 at current prices.
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