INTERLINKING OF NATIONAL RIVERS
Introduction
1. Linking of 37 National rivers to transfer water from, surplus areas to region, facing, scarcity, through 30 links across 9,600 km connecting 32 Dams. The Aim of interlinking of National rivers is to deliver 173 billion cubic mete of water through a 12,500 km maze of canals to irrigate 35 million hectares of land and supply drinking water to 101 districts and five metros.
Origin Of Concept
2. (a) Drought situation during 1966-67.
(b) Important 10 million tonnes of wheat to India.
(c) Pledge for India become self sufficient in food grain.
(d) Green Revolution (i.e. sowing of seeds) burst upon the India agricultural sceneries from 1968 solving India food problem.
(e) Central water and power commission- i.e. CWPC was bifurcated into the CWC and CEA two highly professional bodies of water Resources and power engineers.
(f) Dr. Rao the irrigation Minister observed that Floods in the year 1965, 1966, 1967, in north i.e. Assam, West Bengal and Bihar where as the entire southern including part of Maharashtra suffering from Drought.
(g) Idea of carrying the floodwater to south through the system of Dams and canals water conceived.
(h) Dr. Rao worked on this theory and in the year 1972, he revealed the plan for transporting the surplus water from Ganga right up to the Cauvery in south called the Ganga-Cauvery link.
(j) Plan to transport 60,000 cusec of monsoon flow in Ganga from near Patan for 05 months in a year to south via a Series of Dam and Canal making use of existing rivers enroute.
(j) Idea was to push back water from Ganga along sone (near Patna) and then put across the kaimur range of vindyas by pumping. The water would fall into Narmada and then through Canals into the Wainganga River joining Penganga, Pranhita, Godavari, Krishna then to Pennas and finally to cauvery.
Dastar’s Garland Canal Proposal
3. (a) In 1977 Captain Dastur an Indian Airline pilot flying mostly to Kathmandu from Patna made a proposal.
(b) He proposed construction of a 4300 km long Himalayan Canal with 90 lakes at a Constant elevation of 400 meters along with a 9300 km long Garland Canal with 200 lakes at about 300 meters of constant elevation. Both canal systems were to be connected by Pipeline near Delhi and Patna. (Expected cost 24, 095 crore)
Evaluation
4. (a) The ministry of irrigation and Minister of water Resource in 1980 evaluated both the proposal and found that the realistic cost of Dastur’s Proposal to be something like Rs. 7,00,000 crore and Dr. Rao’s plan to cost Rs. 1,50, 000 crore at today’s price
(b) Both the proposals then were found economically unviable and technically unfeasible
National Water Development Plan
5. (a) The Ministry of water Resource evaluated and drew up National Perspective for Water Resource Development Plan.
(b) Recommended Inter-Basin transferable of river water from surplus to Deficit areas.
(c) Two separate programme had been drawn:-
(i) One proposal involved only the Peninsular River declining Ganga.
(ii) Other proposal involved only the Himalayan River.
New Scheme
6. Surplus water from Mohanadi
Godawari River (route irrigation in Orissa & AP)
Krishna River
(Mean Vijaywada through Dams in APand
Karnataka)
Pennar River
Cauvery River
Vaigal River (Mean Madwari )
National water Development Agency (NWDA)
7. (a) A special organization i.e. NWDA was set up in 1982 by the Ministry of Water Resources for conducting surveys pre-feasibility, feasibility and detailed project report of proposal links
(b) Systematic survey of the proposed links began
(c) Pre-feasibility reports in respect of 16 peninsular and 14 Himalayan rivers links have been completed.
(d) Feasibility reports in respect of six links have been completed.
(e) Peninsular Links unAction may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action
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(i) Appear in the Report of the National commission for Integrated Water Resources Development plan set up in 1996.
(ii) However names of the peninsular links, route of Canals are different in Ministry of Water Resources presentation made in the year 2002
(iii) The 16 Peninsula links are
o Mahanadi (Manibhadra)-Godavari (Dowlaiswaram)
o Godavari (Inchampalli-Krishna (Nagarjunsagar)
o Godavari (Inchampalli-low Dam)- Krishna (NagarjunsagarTali Pond)
o Godavari (Polavaram)- Krishna (Vijaywada)
o Krishna-Almatti-Pennar
o Krishna (Srisailam)-Pennar (prodattur)
o Krishna (Nagarjunsagar)- Pennar (Somashila)
o Pennar (Somashila)-Cauvery (Grand Anicut)
o Cauvery (Kattalai)-Vaigai-Gundar
o Ken-Betwa link
o Parbati- Kalisingh- Chambal
o Par-Tapi-narmada
o Damanganga- Pinjal
o Bedti-Varda
o Netravati-Hemavati
o Pamba-Achankovil-Vaippar
(f) Himalayan Links
(i) Since most of the Himalayan Rivers originate beyond the boundaries of India it was thought that they might be dispute with neighbouring countries.
(ii) Late on it was thought of preparing the pre- feasibility and feasibility reports.
(iii) The 14 Himalayan River links planed are:-
o Kosi-Mechi
o Kosi-Ghagra
o Gangadak-Ganga
o Gahagra- Yamuna
o Sarda-Yamuna
o Yamuna-Rajasthan Canal (Indira Gandhi Nahar Pariyojana)
o Rajasthan Canal –Sabarmati
o Chunar-Sone Barrage
o Sone Dam- Sourthern Tributaries of Ganga
o Brahmaputra- Ganga (Manas- Sankosh- Tista- Farakka)
o Brahmaputra- Ganga (Alt.) (Jogigopa- Tasta- Farakka)
o Farakka- Sunderbans
o Ganga (Farakka)-Damodar-Subarnarekha
o Subarnarekha-Mahanadi
Project Plan
5. The Supreme Court has directed the Government in India to interlink rivers within 10 years. Tank Force headed by formal Union Power Minister, Mr. Suresh Prabhu to build National consensus and world out detailed plan has been set up by the Government. The Plan in required to be completed by the year 2016.
6. The project Plan has been divided into two broad based component by the National Work Development Agency (NWDA):-
The Himalayan Component with 14 river links estimated to Rs.3,75,000 crore
(b) The peninsular component with 14 river links estimated to
Rs. 1, 85,000 crore
7. As per the NWDA the entire project in estimated to cost Rs. 5, 60,000 crores (prices as per year 2002)
Later Development
8. (a) The NWDA continued working on the surveys and pre-feasibility surveys for 20 long years with dedication, often against the wishes of the states not interested in inter-linking and are still continuing with their job and the wealth of information gathered will go a long way in implementation of the inter-basin transfer of river water when undertaken.
(b) Due to severe drought situation in India in July 2002, a public interest litigation was filed in the Supreme Court demanding early implementation of the inter-Basin Transfer of River water Concept/project.
(c) The Supreme Court in its turn asked the govt to implement the project within ten years and also setup a Task Force for preparing the project report and other details of the proposed linking projects.
(d) Accordingly a Task Force on Inter-Linking of River (TF-LLR) was set up on Dec 13, 2002 with former Union Energy minister Suresh Prabhu as the chairman. The Take force consists of the following: -
(i) Chairman: -Mr.Surah Prabhu (Former Union Energy Minister)
(ii) Vice-Chairman: -Dr.CC Patel (Former Secretary, Union Irrigation Government of India & the Former chairman of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited.
(iii) Member Secretary: - Dr. C.D.Thatte (Former Secretary Ministry of Water Resources, Secretary General of the International commission of Irrigation and Drainage.
(iv) Representatives from various states having surplus water and deficit ones.
(v) Member: - Mr. Chandrashker Das Gupta former diplomat will look after negotiation with neighbouring countries such as Bhutan, Nepal & Bangladesh with respect to water in Ganga –Bramahaputra-Meghana basin the richest in terms of water resource in the Entire world.
(vi) Member: - Dr. Rk Pachauri: Will take care of the Environmental aspects of the entire project
Cost/ Financial Implications.
9. (a) The NWDA had estimated the cost amount Rs. 5,60,000 crorer (Exact cost would only be known af detailed project report).
Since the money would be required to be spent in a decade, in few year time India will be able to take on the financing of the project, keeping in view the growth of Indian Economy at a faster pace.
(c) Special purpose vehicle for implementation including Raising of funds will be set up on the line of NHAI (National Highway Authority of India) or Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Presently ICICI Bank is looking after the finance part.
Benefits from Interlinking
10. The benefits from the Interlinking of National River projects are:-
(a) Flood and Drought Control
(i) End flood problem, of the Ganga and Brahamaputra.
(ii) Solve Drought Problem in South India.
(b) Improved Agriculture
(i) Extra 35 million hectares will get irrigated.
(ii) Per Capita Food grain consumption to double with increase in population
(iii) Provide Food security (India produces about 450 million tonnes of food grain by 2050 when the population may stabilize to 160 crorer).
(c) More power
(i) Additional electricity with be generated (Slow Release of water will not only produce hydro-electricity, but also help large scale plantation of trees on canal banks.
(ii) Production of 35,000 MW of hydro-electrical Power would take place.
(iii) Reduce demand and power cut /fluctuation
(d) Alternative Transport
River transport in cheap
River transport in Non Polluting
Even canals can be used for cargo moving between states.
(e) Employment Generation
Employment in Agriculture sector
Employment in Power sector
Employment in Transport sector
Employment in construction sector
(f) Increase in GDP
Increase in GDP by 4%
(g) Social Benefits
Reduction in Migration from Rural area
Agriculture will be on the ascendant
Reduce Congestion in Cities
Other Benefit
(i) Transfer of surplus water (after meeting the needs of the basin) of the rivers to the deficit one.
Constant flow of water to look after the plant, animal, and micro-organisms.
Uninterrupted flow will cleanse the city, town and villages and Rubbish material flushed by river will prove to be food for fish and other aquatic life.
Hurdles
11. The Hurdles to the interlinking Projects are: -
(a) Environment
Canal envisaged by the Project will pass through National Purls and Sanctuaries
Displacement of Population due to building of Dams and Canals
Would eat up the Natural habitats of wildlife
Reshape the Ecology with unknown consequence
Large numbers of Forest submerged
(b) Flooding during Monsoon
(i) In India Monsoon in all states almost occur at the same time
(ii) Interlinking can cause storage to overflow causing flooding
(c) Consent of neighbouring countries
Ganga and Brahamaputra are international rivers
Understanding with Nepal and Bangladesh to transferring of water will be required
Canal will have to be built through the problem chicken necks connecting Nepal with rest of India
(d) Funding
Rs. 5, 60, 000 equal 25 % of GDP
Funding will not be easy
Cost escalation may derail the budget/project or both.
Conclusion
12. (a) Interlinking of National Rivers is Feasible
(i) Excellent example of effective and efficient management of water resource as the base of need and equity
(ii) MDWA has meticulously studied relevant ecological and environmental concerns
(b) Interstate Water Agreement will hold
(c) People participation is Important
II: SOUTH ASIA UNION
Introduction
1. Every summit of the South Asian Association for
Regional Co-operation (SAARC) raises the same question “Can this group of seven nations even get it acts together to achieve any of its goals. While other regional associations most notably the Association of South East Asian Nations and the European Union appears to be bounding ahead with their business, SAARC in nearly two decades of its existence has made little headway on the lofty ideal contained in its charter. Together the members of the group constitute nearly one third of the world’s total population among the most impoverished and ranked among the lowest in the indices of human development in the community of nations. SAARC summit which is meant to be an annual event has eight times fallen victim to the tensions between the two biggest members India and Pakistan, and is hence struggling to finalise and implement a preferential made agreement for the entire region.
2. The seven SAARC countries on 06 Jan 2004 signed a treaty that would lead to free trade and movements of goods, paving the way for South Asian Economic Union along the lines of EU in future. The South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) frame work treaty signed by the Foreign ministers of the SAARC countries seek to remove trade barriers and phased elimination of a tariffs and establishment of a ministerial level mechanism for administering the treaty and dispute settlement among members. The treaty will operationalise the free trade area by 01 Jan 2006.
REASONS TO WELCOME A FREE TRADE ZONE
3. Prime Minister Vajpayee’s projection of a South Asia Union may appear to be a dream but not an unrealistic one. It has the reverberations of Nehruvian Vision of Asian resurgence, which had got lost in the cold War and intra-Asian conflicts. Today, the people are more than prepared for such a community. The reasons why we should have the South Asia Union are:-
(a) Economic Gains.
(i) Indo-Pak Trade alone will reach the $10 billion mark within five years of free trade agreements in the region.
(ii) Integrated economies and markets will also make South Asia an attractive destination for foreign investment.
(iii) Free movement of labour across the borders may cause some problems but unrestrained flow of goods, services, technologies and investments would create millions of jobs.
(iv) South Asia’s chronic problems of poverty, inequality and discrimination will be tackled resulting in the raise in the human development indices.
(b) Regional harmony.
(i) The subcontinent’s civilisational harmony and cultural contiguity, marred for long by discordant political forces, will be reactivated.
(ii) This will facilitate the upsurge of a composite culture, evolved in the region through centuries of mutual engagement.
(iii) SAARC countries will be better equipped to fight fundamentalist forces.
(c) No conflict Zone.
(i) Inter-state conflicts will not exist anymore.
(ii) Intra-state challenges of terrorism, ethnic conflicts and sectarian violence can be managed better.
(iii) Security forces among the member states will therefore be downsized and can be modernised to meet any security challenges from outside the region.
(iv) There would be no excuse on the part of the military to dabble in national affairs and dominate its politics.
(v) Boost the prospects of democratic reinforcement and people-based policies in the region.
(d) Global power centre.
(i) A harmonious and strategically-compact South Asia will prevent the destructive and troublesome influences of extra- regional powers.
(ii) No outside country, no matter how powerful, will be able to interfere in South Asian affairs and exploit their mutual differences.
(iii) The region will become an attractive destination for constructive engagement to enhance strategic harmony and economic development.
(e) Advantage India.
(i) The collective strategic and economic weight of South Asia in world affairs will increase considerably.
(ii) Being the largest member of the Union, India will be better equipped to play its legitimate role in world affairs.
(iii) Free from the burden of regional dissonance, India will be able to devote its energies towards building a vibrant Asia and democratic, peaceful, multi-polar world.
(iv) And the world will have to take cognizance of South Asia as a community and India as its core member.
ROADMAP TO FORMULATE SOUTH ASIA UNION
4. India’s proposal to create a South Asia Economic union on the lines of EU has met with stiff resistance from Pakistan, but it seems others are willing. The region has an edge because of its common history. Before 1947, we had a single currency and an integrated market. Also, the way intra-regional trade has been growing – from $ 1.2 billion in 1980 to over $7 billion now – there are indications that the region is ready for a Union. Steps to formulate South Asia Union are:-
(a) Free Trade Area
(i) The first step was taken on 06 Jan 04 itself; SAARC foreign ministers cleared an agreement to set up a South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) by 2006.
(ii) This means, abolition of tariffs and quantitative restrictions in the region.
(iii) Once SAFTA becomes operational, the region will also become attractive for foreign investors.
(iv) International Players can then think of investing in cross border projects in the region.
(b) Customs Union.
(i) Individual custom territories of countries will have to be substituted with a single customs union.
(ii) There are chances of possible leaks in the system in a sense that a country could import a product and then re-export it to another country where the tariffs are higher. A customs union will take care of all such situation.
(c) A Common Market.
(i) Once a customs union takes place, common market is the next stage.
(ii) All restrictions on cross-border investment, movement of labour, technology transfer, management, sharing of capital resources etc, will have to go.
(iii) Various confidence-building measures will have to be taken. Countries have to address peace and security issues jointly.Terrorism, cross-border crime, etc, will have to be handled together.
(iv) There has to be common patrolling of borders and investing agencies have to work in tandem with each other.
(v) People-To-People interactions will increase.
(vi) Open borders will ease travel without visas.
(vii) Will help tourists, patients, students and divided families.
(d) Economic Union.
(i) This is the stage when free exchange of goods and services take place.
(ii) Countries have to agree on maintaining a fiscal discipline, stability in the exchange rate, and stabilising interest rates, etc.
(iii) At a later stage, a common currency can be introduced. That is, countries will replace their individual currencies with a common South Asia currency.
(iv) Common currency will be the last stage of economic union. Before that countries have to harmonise their economic and monetary policies.
(e) Political Union.
(i) Countries will have to harmonise their security and foreign policy.
(ii) A common South Asia Parliament can then be formed with representatives of all the seven nations.
(iii) This will work in sync with the individual country’s legislatures.
(iv) This is the stage when countries will be willing to dilute their national identity to a large extent and become a part of the Union, perhaps that is why the EU has not been able to reach this stage even after 40 years of its existence and hence the EU model is not right for South Asia. What we need to follow is the Asian model. i.e. Member countries maintain their sovereignty and policies in all major spheres but cooperate enormously with each other.
ROAD BLOCKS TO SOUTH ASIA UNION
5. Visions of an EU style South Asia Union are being conjured up when Pakistan has been loath even to establish normal trading relationship with New Delhi and Bangladesh is hesitant to sell its natural gas to India. The reasons why the South Asia Union is simply a pipedream are:-
(a) Neighbour Pakistan.
(i) Pakistan is not a normal state. No nation has more deadly transnational terrorists on its territory than Pakistan- the AL Qaeda, Taliban and assorted Kashmir-jihad groups.
(ii) While the world worries about terrorists acquiring weapons of mass destruction, Pakistan flaunts both state- supported terrorists and nuclear weapons controlled by Islamist generals
(iii) How can any union include a nation engaged is covert actions in breach of international law. Including the export of terrorism, narcotics and nuclear material? Can India, the world’s back office for IT, realistically partner with Pakistan, the back office for IT of a different type-international terrorism?
(b) Political Incompatibility.
(i) Democracies cannot form a union with autocracies.
(ii) An EU-Style union demands minimal political and economic compatibility among its members.
(iii) India and Sri Lanka are the only Thriving democracies in this mottled region, which shows off a military dictatorship in Pakistan, an Indian-reinstated autocracy in the Maldives, a place- dictated democracy in Nepal, a monarchy in Bhutan and a flawed democracy in Bangladesh.
(iv) Now can we expect economic and political transparency that a union necessitates when some states do not have an independent judiciary or even rule of the law?
(c) Open Borders Spell Trouble:
(i) When India’s security is being undermined by trans-border terrorists and millions of illegal immigrants despite closely-guarded borders imagine what open borders would bring.
(b) Bangladeshi refugees would economically and culturally swamp India.
(iii) Due to its open border with India, Nepal has already become a happy hunting ground for Pakistani and Chinese intelligence as well as for other foreign interests seeking to undermine Indian security.
(iv) For India, the challenge is to better manage and control its 15,200 km long land frontier with six countries and its 7,683 km coastline.
(d) Geopolitical Compulsions.
(i) South Asia is geopolitically uncongenial to the union concept.
(ii) The other SAARC members do not border each other. But all of them border India, which they view with innate suspicion because of its dominance.
(iii) While the EU is the result of equilibrium among several major middle powers, India geographically and economically casts too large a shadow over South Asia.
(iv) In the SAARC framework, India would have to constantly bend back words to accommodate others and yet not be able to ease their concerns.
(v) India’s natural strategic compass is much broader than south Asia- a landmass compromising mainly of the former undivided India.
(e) SAARC Market.
(i) The SAARC market is small for India. Such is the size and sophistication of the markets of other SAARC countries that Indian IT exports are almost equal to Pakistan’s entire exports.
(ii) It’s only by looking at markets beyond South Asia that Indian companies are becoming competitive.
(iii) Yet, India needs to attract and influence its immediate neighbours.
(iv) Having established a general SAFTA frame work for liberalising trade and capital flows, India should push for bilateral accords and turn free trade with Sri Lanka into a regional model.
(v) With Dhaka, India could start modestly and phase in gradual trade liberalisation so that Bangladesh, rather than illegally exporting its surplus labour, employs them at home to make goods and services for export to India.
(vi) Such bilateral tie-ups and faster Indian economic growth would arm India with leverage to influence Pakistan’s conduct.
CONCLUSION
6. A South Asia Union with no trade restrictions will help in the growth of all SAARC countries. Many experts feel that the West would feel competitive if not threatened, since the West has always been interested in the subcontinent and if a common thread emerges from it in the form of South Asia Union, they would gain too. Trading with or travelling through the Union with a single currency makes life easier. SAARC has taken the long awaited first step and if leaders can carry forward the process of economic cooperation, they will have contributed substantially to improve the political climate of the region. After all South Asia Union shouldn’t be about power, but about making life better.
