Tuesday, 19 April 2016 | 04:08:23
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Columnists »Oped
Long-term solution to the water crisis
Tuesday,
19 April 2016
|
Transfer of water by train is only a short-term
solution to the water crisis. The long-term solution lies in a network of
rivers and canals across the country
Many
States in this country are reeling under an acute drinking water shortage and
facing drought-like situations. Large parts Maharashtra, Telangana and
Karnataka are currently in the throes of a severe water crisis. The impact of a
harsh summer is already rippling across the land, with failed hydroelectric
plants affecting industrial production, and agricultural activities threatened
for want of irrigation water. Water trains have been pressed into service to
carry thousands of litres of water from the Krishna river to the parched
district of Latur to quench the thirst of millions over there.
According
to the Ministry of Water Resources, presently, water levels are significantly
lower than their 10-year average in the nationally-monitored 91 water
reservoirs. Experts are of the view that climate change, coupled with El Nino,
a weather phenomenon caused by higher sea temperatures, is the main cause for
extremely hot summer seasons and the resultant water scarcity in the country.
With
increasing demands of water, conflicts are arising between States and
communities are claiming their rightful share of water. Water-endowed States
often cite the ‘Harmon Doctrine', asserting absolute sovereignty over water
flowing through their territories, and have even passed Assembly resolutions,
invalidating earlier agreements signed with their neighbouring States. This has
recently happened in Punjab regarding the Sutlej-Yamuna link canal. Maharashtra,
apprehensive about water disputes turning into law and order problems, has
imposed prohibitory orders in some villages in Latur.
This
crisis is the culmination of years of water mismanagement on the mistaken
belief that India is a water-rich country. It is the result of missed and
missing opportunities in harnessing the highly skewed seasonal and spatial
distribution of monsoon flows which occurs over a four-month period. It is also
a consequence of petty hydro-politics clouding long term vision, thereby,
necessitating ad hoc solutions.
More than
90 per cent of the annual flows in peninsular rivers and 80 per cent of such
flows in the Himalayan rivers occur during the monsoon months from June to
September. Since these few months account for most of the rainfall and
consequent water availability, the capacity to hold water in reservoirs and
spread out its release over the year can mean the difference between managing
devastating floods and droughts and routinely falling prey to them.
This
year, a good monsoon is expected soon after the harsh summer. However, we are
not prepared to address even heavy monsoon flood situations, since we do not
have large dams across major rivers like the Brahmaputra to absorb and regulate
the floods.
From past
experience within the country and abroad, water professionals have been
insisting on river linking projects to enable inter-basin water transfers, from
surplus to deficit basins, to even out the variations of water availability and
allow for optimal utilisation. Convinced of the proposal, even though the Union
Government had set up a National Water Development Agency to study and
implement a river linking project more than three decades ago but the latter
has not made much progress due to stiff opposition from some State Governments
and self-appointed environmental activists .
It is
high time that the river-linking project be taken up on a war footing instead
of permitting it to crawl and slip into the shadows of history. Transfer of
water by train, is a short-term solution but the long-term solution lies in
having a network of rivers and canals in the country to address the impact of
climate change and provide succour to the millions who suffer from the ravages
of floods and droughts stalking the country every year.
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