Hello Jupit;
At 9:06 AM -0700 10/15/03, Jupit wrote: >As a fellow Asomiya, I found few so-called experts and some vested >interested people of >Assam (including AASU) is unnecessarily making hue and cry on water >diversion from rivers >in Assam to other parts of India. *** Who are the "so-called experts" here we refer to? And what are the "vested interests" that are making the hue and cry? >From the tone of the note I would presume that you are an expert or at least are in a position to judge who is an expert and who is not. That is good to know, because we have been attempting to get opinions and explanations from the experts on this matter. Certainly it has NOT been forthcoming from the Riverlinking Experts in Prabhu's brain trust. We hope you will be able to share some of your knowledge on the matter. >To get something one need to sacrifice something. You >can't control flood without some remedies like diverting water, and if you >want to keep >water then don't keep crying on flood and blame center for its apathy. *** I don't know what the basis of youyr complaint is here, but it is NOT so much the Center's apathy here we are concerned about, but its ARBITRARY, and imperialistic attitudes, as could be seen from its holding a 'summit' at Delhi about river-linking in water diversion from Assam rivers, a major factor in the equation, while NOT even inviting anyone from Assam to participate in the 'summit'. Assam, if we are not mistaken, is NOT a colonial property. It is a component of a so-called FEDERAL republic of India. If that point is recognized by the central powers, then the very least it would have done would have been to get Assam on board BEFORE it decided that Assam's water is available for diversion to other areas of India. But old habits die hard. Since the center has been oblivious of this earlier, one might have thought it would get Assam on board now. Would that be a resonable expectation? BTW, what should Assam sacrifice to get something in return? It was touted by Suresh Prabhu that Assam's floods could be mirtigated by 20% to 30% by diverting water from the Manas river? I presume he did not pull that assertyion out of his hat, but was advised so by his EXPERTS. Now since you are a fellow Asomiya, and I presume you are familiar with the lay of the land of Assam, particularly the Brahmaputra valley, does Prabhu's assertion sound to you like either truthful or even possible? >How many water >resources experts are there in Assam? Who are they, could you please one >such >person'>name? *** That is beside the point. One does NOT have to be an expert to ask questions that concern Assam. In a planbning 'summit' that is what could have been aired. And Prabhu's EXPERTS colud have laid out how it would be done, how Assam would benefit and what it n might cost Assam--something they have failed to addressed so far. At any event, recently, the Central Water resources minister, Mrs. Chakraborty referred questiuons on the matter of riverlinking to experts in the Brahmaputra Board. Is this board made up of experts you think? Or just another bunch of bureaucrats who have nothing to show for its two decades of existence? Just otherday, I found an economist from Guwahati UNiversity (Dr. Sanjiv Barkakoty) >talked some non-sense in Nagaon on this issue. *** I won't question your ability to decide whether it was sense or nonsense, but would it not have been better to tell us what it was that you found to be nonsensical? >I wander how could he talk on water when >he does not qualify to talk. One must learn to be an expert before >delivering public >lectures on national importance. *** I don't know SB from Adam. But Obviously you don't think much of his opinions. I have no problem with that. But is that a justification that you are presenting on why it was OK to exclude Assam from the riverlinking 'summit'? I hope not. >Otherwise they are akin to superficial newpaper reports, >which creates hindrance to development. Let we look from positive side of >the project, >and pinpoint the pitfalls and suggest remedies for solution. A national >water grid is >muct for all-round development of the nation, including NE India. *** Well, we can start right here with YOUR analysis on how NE India will benefit from damming the Manas and/or the Brahmaputra to divert waters to arid South India. Shall we? >My suggestion to you brother/friend, please don't jump to conclusion from >>newspaper nrews. *** That is good advice. In fact I have been advocating as much right here in Assam Net. However WHAT in the subject news report could have been mis-reported to DISTORT facts? That Assam might have been invited, but declined? That Assam would have been included if it could produce some EXPERTS of a standard befitting of the "summit's" other participants' expertise? Anything else? I>f you are a researcher, please go deep into the hydrology and water resources >management work around the world. Then come up with realistic points and >>approaches. *** I am not a hydrologist, and am not an expert in anything. But I do possess commonsense that seem to be sorely missing amongst a lot of 'experts' who have been mouthing off assertions about riverlinking that do not hold any water. Perhaps YOU could set us straight. We can start with HOW Suresh Prabhu's expert brain trust might take waters out of an impoundment of the Manas River across over thirty rivers between it and the Kosi, and that too by building a canal that will supposedly be suitable for inland water transportation, all this while it will be a GRAVITY flow canal, for the most part. Let me clue you in on a few pieces of info I have gleaned from US made maps ( I still can't obtain Survey of India prepared topographical maps--they are NOT available to ordinary people): The Manas has three forks and a number of tributaries. To dam it at ONE place it will have to be done closer to the Brahmaputra river than the Bhutan border. If so, it will be in the elevation range of about 130 to 150 feet above sea level. That would also innundate a vast tract of ground upstream, since it is all low lying area anyway. That won't fly. So it has to be dammed closer to the Bhutan border, where the reservoir could be at above 200 feet or so. But that would mean several dams--because one tributary of the Manas will do diddly squat for flood abatement. Which, more than likely is what will happen aneway. The flood control promises are just plain bullshit. Now from an impoundment of around 200 ft above sea level, the CANALS and AQUEDUCTCS ( which will be required to go over the thirtysomething other rivers and interfluves), for a gravity flow, will have to go first south, then northwest, over a terrain that rises to over 230 feet in the territory halfway betwwe the B'desh border and Bhutan border. That woukld be some gravity flow, won't it? Unfortunately I don't have any toipographical data to the west of 89 degrees longitude, which is about halfway through B'dash. So Can't tell if the canal would risde or fall. *** I hope you will share some of your expert knowledge here and tell us how and who will be benefitting and who could be expected to be left holding the bag. Bes, cm >Regards, >Jupit > >> >> River-linking meet sans NE representative >> By A Staff Reporter >> GUWAHATI, Oct 14 - A high-level daylong seminar on inter-linking of rivers >> billed as "First National Media Summit on Interlinking of Rivers: Prospects >> and Challenges" was held at New Delhi today where not a single >> representative from this land of the mighty Brahmaputra river was invited. >> The Union Ministry of Water Resources sponsored the seminar at HUDCO Bhawan >> at Habitat Centre in the national capital, which was organised by >> Association of Integrated Social Transformation and Chronicle Society of >> India for Education and Academic Research, amongst others. > > >__________________________________ >Do you Yahoo!? >The New Yahoo! 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