The Cauvery imbroglio
3/4 Months back every conceivable politician and self styled farmers' organisations were raising a hue and cry over over non release of Cauvery water by Karnataka. Cricketers were attacked, cricket matches were stopped and high pitched oratory was there in every nook and corner of the State.Everybody went head over heels in expressing their concern for the farmers. All this hullaballoo was staged even when the Centre was actively engaged in the formation... of Cauvery Water Management Board.
What is the situation now? Karnataka is dumping all their surplus water into Tamilnad and we have no space to store the water and letting more than 75% of the water into the sea.To add insult to injury, the entire river belt is flooded and we are organising relief camps. If we had made proper arrangements for storing the surplus water there would have been no need for us to beg Karnataka for at least two more years. Now we are wasting the precious resources and I am sure we will be staging another agitation next year for getting water from Karnataka. The reasons for this tragedy are too many:
Not arranging for storage of available water. No dam or fresh storage facilities have been created ever since independence.
Even the available lakes and tanks have not been desilted.
There is no trace of many of these waterbodies because they have either been converted into residential plots or rendered useless because of the growth of wild plants.
The greedy poilticians in their anxiety to grab sand have desisted from maintenace of the waterbodies.
3/4 Months back every conceivable politician and self styled farmers' organisations were raising a hue and cry over over non release of Cauvery water by Karnataka. Cricketers were attacked, cricket matches were stopped and high pitched oratory was there in every nook and corner of the State.Everybody went head over heels in expressing their concern for the farmers. All this hullaballoo was staged even when the Centre was actively engaged in the formation... of Cauvery Water Management Board.
What is the situation now? Karnataka is dumping all their surplus water into Tamilnad and we have no space to store the water and letting more than 75% of the water into the sea.To add insult to injury, the entire river belt is flooded and we are organising relief camps. If we had made proper arrangements for storing the surplus water there would have been no need for us to beg Karnataka for at least two more years. Now we are wasting the precious resources and I am sure we will be staging another agitation next year for getting water from Karnataka. The reasons for this tragedy are too many:
Not arranging for storage of available water. No dam or fresh storage facilities have been created ever since independence.
Even the available lakes and tanks have not been desilted.
There is no trace of many of these waterbodies because they have either been converted into residential plots or rendered useless because of the growth of wild plants.
The greedy poilticians in their anxiety to grab sand have desisted from maintenace of the waterbodies.
The same thing happened in Dec2015 when there was an unprecedented fllod situation in several districts. The water that was let out into the sea in Chennai would have been sufficient to fulfil the water requirements of Chennai for at least 3 years. But six months laterin the summer of 2016 we were experiencing shortage of water.
Every year in the Budget funds are allocated for desilting, fresh storage etc but nothing concrete has been done. Whether the allocation is only on paper or they are misutilised is anybody's guess.
If sufficient funds andper are given to the District Collectors they can get the work done in their respective areas with the help of Self Help Groups and unemployed youth and this will help in employment generation also.
I know I am not saying anything new but I cannot help expressing my anguish.I wish the authorities wake up from their 50 years of deep slumber at least now and do something concrete.
See MoreEvery year in the Budget funds are allocated for desilting, fresh storage etc but nothing concrete has been done. Whether the allocation is only on paper or they are misutilised is anybody's guess.
If sufficient funds andper are given to the District Collectors they can get the work done in their respective areas with the help of Self Help Groups and unemployed youth and this will help in employment generation also.
I know I am not saying anything new but I cannot help expressing my anguish.I wish the authorities wake up from their 50 years of deep slumber at least now and do something concrete.