A more practical and rationalized view on river-linking than the regularly presented "conspiracy theory" and other emotional 'ogrong-bogrong'.
Thanks Partha for sending this. Other netters might be interested reading this, if they haven't already..
>From: "Gogoi, Partha" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: "Assam DC Metro (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Bakulia (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"RITRhinos (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Nitin Sood (E-mail 2)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Jigar (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Chan Mahanta (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Alpana Sarangapani (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Mridul Gogoi (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Wahid Saleh (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Gutchians (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>CC: "Shantanu Das (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Shantikam Hazarika (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: FW:Worst floods in 50 years
>Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 10:14:08 -0400
>
>Floods in Assam on one hand and the River Linking project - the mega mega project/concept in India!
>
>
>http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=4
&id=45145&usrsess=1
>
>Worst floods in 50 years
>
>By Shib Shankar Chatterjee
>THE chief minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi, calls it the worst flood in 50 years. Twenty-three of the 25 districts are under the attack of high water, especially from the Brahmaputra and numerous tributaries, although news from across the state speaks of widespread relief now that the initial wave of floods appears to be receding. Incessant monsoon rains and overflowing rivers have overwhelmed dykes and embankments and easily topped banks.
>Several districts of western and eastern Assam were cut off from the rest of India and not less than three million people were displaced by high water. Over 7,000 villages have been hit, with widespread damage to property and crops reported - over half a million hectares of cropland was completely damaged. Among the worst-hit are the districts of Dhemaji and Dhubri in the Brahmaputra Valley and Hailakandi in the Barak Valley. The Army has been called out in some areas to help the local administration.
>At least 26 persons were swept away by floodwaters, eight in a boat tragedy in Sonitpur district and 18 when an embankment gave away in Morigaon district. Tens of thousands of people have taken shelter on the nearest highland, the embankments. Numerous villages still face a threat of erosion from furious currents.
>Tarun Gogoi has ordered all districts to speed up relief measures, but there are shortages of essential commodities coupled with an acute shortage of drinking water and health care. Water-borne diseases like gastroenteritis, dysentery, jaundice, typhoid and malaria have killed more than 75 persons. The toll is expected to rise with the lack of access to drinking water and sanitation.
>Majuli, one of the largest river islands in the world, located on the Brahmaputra and a UNESCO heritage site, has been flooded and hit by erosion.
>Wildlife too has suffered: recently, two rhinos were found dead on the fringes of Kaziranga National Park, their horns sawn off by poachers, while two elephants were killed in neighbouring Meghalaya. The surging waters of the Brahmaputra river have already inundated more than 450 square kilometres or about 70-75 per cent of Kaziranga, forcing animals to take shelter on the National Highway and on high ground in the Karbi Anglong Hills.
>Although these are among the worst floods in memory, the region faces the wrath of nature every monsoon, year after year. Devastating floods have become analogous with summer, disrupting normal life for months. Conversations these days often turns to the possibility of a permanent solution and even to the idea of river-linking which is being assiduously promoted by the Centre as a manna for all flood-related and water-related problems.
>But a question arises: how can the region's excess water be exported to another region, effectively a river basin transfer, when the second region is facing floods? And if the idea is to take water from water-rich areas to water-deficient ones in the dry season, then the "river linkers" seem to forget a basic fact: there's a draft problem and a water shortage even in these so called "water-rich regions" in the winter.
>Better flood forecasting, better drinking water facilities, larger and better fleets of boats at the village and town levels and dredging the rivers are more practical solutions than a gargantuan effort costing over Rs 5,00,000 crore. Dredging may be expensive but it is far, far cheaper than the river-linking mirage.
>
>(The author is a journalist based in Assam.)
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Sanjoy Hazarika
>Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 12:16 AM
>To: Gogoi, Partha
>Subject: Re: msg
>
>
>there was an article by shib shankar chatterjee. it was the anchor
>piece. rgds. sanjoy da
>
>
>
>
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