Friday, February 24, 2006

Rang De Basanti !!

REQUIRED : DEVOTED YOUTH WITH STRONG WILL POWER !!!

Dr. Gautam Pingle Says : It's not a new idea !! 120 years ago in 1981, Sir Arthur Cotton also had proposed about similar project !!

Why no body linked these rivers till now !!

Lack of Political will ?? Not really.. It is a team work !! We need more and more hands !!
Come , join us... put your comments and speak about this project to as many people around you as you can. We want to put tremendous public pressure on the polititians and the overall system !!!

When elders nurture small Mango samplings , they know it very well that they may not be alive by the time the tree starts giving tasty Mangos. Still they do that for the future generation. Think about the future generations, what we have to offer them ? Polluted air, water shortages, Energy shortages ??? No, do something useful to the whole society.

Sincere request to people who are trying to oppose this project :
Please don't be spoilsports!!
Don't worry about monsoon, it is dependent on many other factors as well.
We need very little amount of water to circulate within India. It's not going to make much difference !!

For environmentalists :
Why are you worrying only about water? Now a days, people are traveling from North to South, food grains are imported and exported, what so great about water? There are so many other environmental issues which need immediate attention ( Eco Balance).

We can not waste this beautiful idea just for some imaginary fears!!
What do you think ??

Water Grid can be a reality !!

NWDA has also proved after 20 years of study by over 200 engineers that the Water Grid can be a reality, making the peninsular rivers also perennial rivers with the flood waters of Brahmaputra, Ganga and Mahanadi, by reviving River Sarasvati and taking Brahmaputra flood waters to Kanyakumari resolving the twin management concerns of recurrent, annual drought relief and flood relief palliative measures.

"Water management in the semi-arid zones and drought-prone areas of the nation should be resolved as a technical problem and the long-term answer is the setting up of a National Water Grid, analogous to the National Power Grid." --- Kalyanaraman

This is in reference to a PTI report of June 23 2005 from Tonk, Rajasthan where Congress President Sonia Gandhi is reported to have offered relief to families of five farmers killed in police firing in Rajasthan.
The problem should be viewed from a national perspective and a developmental imperative.
The National Water Development Agency of Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India has drawn up a perspective plan for moving Sharada river waters into Rajasthan Nahar as part of the Perspective Plan for Himalayan and Peninsular River Links as part of a National Water Grid.This would take the waters of the Nahar upto River Sabarmati making it the reborn Vedic River Sarasvati quenching the thirst of over 20 crorepeople in northwestern India -- in droughtprone areas of Rajasthan and Rann of Kutch, and Saurashtra in particular.

NWDA has been submittingannual reports to the Parliament every year since this Agency is chaired by the Prime Minister with CMs of all states as members.

The Common Minimum Programme of UPA also includes the starting of the Peninsular Water Grid, in pursuance of the undertaking given to the Supreme Court to get the interlinking of rivers implemented in 16 years' time.Setting up National Water Grid Authority and National Coastal Commission to purify seawater into drinking water for coastal towns/cities will resolve the watershed management problems and make possible the realisation of India Vision 2020.

Desalination can be achieved not only for seawater resources but also to the brackish waters of rivers like the Luni River in Rajasthan and Gujarat in the salty and marshy terrains of northwest India. Similar desalination projects are in operation in many parts of the world to desalinate entire river systems.

We hope and trust that the leaders and policy-makers of the nation would give priority to these projects as a positive step in optimal use of water as a national asset. The people of the country will bless the politicians and remember them for this act of dharma in the true traditions of the nation which holds waters as sacred trust.

The Sarasvati Research Centre hopes that national interest demands that the National Water Grid Authority and National Coastal Commission be appointed immediately to help manage the water resources of the nation in an optimal and sustainable manner. What we have today is not a water resource crisis, it is only a management problem, given the Great Water Reservoir of the Himalayan glaciers which are accumulating water in the form of ice and snow more than the release by molten river flows.

Attitude Matters !! -- National Water Grid !!!

I also found that Dr. Kalyanaraman has taken tremendous efforts and prepared very nice reports and presentations related to this project (Saraswati Nadi Shodh Prakalp)

These are available at : http://hindunet.org/saraswati/ieindex.htm
Must read the article: "Attitude matters in linking of rivers"

Dr. S. Kalyanaraman,
Former Sr. Exec. Asian Development Bank,
Former member, Indian Railway Accounts Service,
Sarasvati Nadi Shodh Prakalp, Srinagar Colony, Chennai 600015. Tel. 044 2354640; kalyan97@yahoo.com

But as Preetam has said, It is a giant project and needs Bhageerathian efforts!!
More and more young people should come ahead to support and actually execute this ...

The Garland Canal

I found following information on www.Dharwad.com in a public forum on National Issues:
'Subhash' wanted to know about this project and 'Preetam' has replied as follows:


Ganga Kaveri Project - The Garland Canal
The garland canal as it was known and popularised by Dr.K.L.Rao a former chief engineer of Nagarjunsagar project in A.P is a vision to link all the rivers in India from Brahmaputra, Ganga, to Narmada, Tapthi to Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Penna to Kaveri. This will effectively circulate the waters in our land to every nook and corner eliminating the petty squabbles amongst us. But this needs a real heart to pump up the waters from the Gangaetic plains above the Vindhya mountains to reach the Deccan plateau. The massive energy needed to lift the huge amounts of water is the major obstacle apart from the political will that we always lack. For the Ganga waters to reach Knyakumari and to make this garland a reality we need Bhageerathian efforts on this land.


Hats of to Subhash and Preetam : Tel us more about this project ........

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Just another irrigation project ??? NO.........

How this project is going to change the lives of 100 Korod Indians?

  • This is not just another irrigation project. It has multiple dimensions; social, environmental, economical and so on.
  • It is a huge task and will take years and generations to complete. It will be implemented in phases. People who are not able to visualize its advantages now, will recognize its importance slowly but surely.
  • This will provide work to lacks of unemployed hands.
  • It is going to mobielize the economy and trade.
  • This project is not an easy task, so it will set new challenges before us. We will need technical expertise and advance civil engineering methods.
  • Few people are opposing this project fearing that this will adversely affect monsoon and environment. I just want to tell them that there are many known and unknown factors affecting the monsoon. Mankind can not change it even slightly. We are very small and can not control the nature in any way. We want to utilize the available water on Indian plateau so that there will not be flood in one state and "Sukha- Avarshan" in few more.
  • Even in Indian - Hindu mythology, we have the concept of bringing water from North India- Varanasi- Kashi and make "Abhisheka" to Rameshwar in South India. It should have been dream of our ancestors and now with the help of technology and will power we can make it happen !!

Kindly put your comments, even if you disagree...

Ganga Kaveri Prakalp - Nadi Jod - Prakalp

Hi,
You must have heard about the most talked about irrigation project of joining the two big rivers in India using canals. The idea is not new. Many years ago the same project was discussed by the irrigation department and then it was reffered to as "GANGA-KAVERI" Prakalp.
"Ganga Kaveri Prakalp - Kareel Rashtracha Kayakalp"
My father Mr. Digambar Balkrishna Gokhale had contested Loksabha election in 1991 with the agenda to propogate this dream irrigation project. His notion was clear, he knew that he wouldn't win the election; but he contested because it gave him access to senior polititians and burocrats with whom he discussed this project. He also had discussed this with as many voters as he could. We all are happy that his dream is coming true with new name : Nadi jod Prakalp.
I will update his ideas on this blog and we will be very happy to read your valuable comments/ suggestions.
Bye for now...