DOCSLIB.ORG

Environmental Issues in Interlinking of Rivers in India

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Environmental Issues in Interlinking of Rivers in India See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281080708 Environmental Issues in Interlinking of rivers in India Chapter · November 2005 CITATIONS READS 0 2,986 2 authors: Shiv Narayan Sharmistha Basu Directorate of Higher Education, Uttarakhand Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit 6 PUBLICATIONS 23 CITATIONS 33 PUBLICATIONS 108 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: What works to prevent child marriage? Comparative study of two districts in Rajasthan View project FHI360 Projects View project All content following this page was uploaded by Sharmistha Basu on 04 September 2015. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. Environmental Issues in Interlinking of Rivers in India 1 2 Shiv Narayan Sidh , Sharmishtha Basu 1Government Degree College, Gairsain Uttranchal, lndia-246428 Phone No.- 091-1363-268361 Email: shiv _:[email protected] 2Center for Studies in Regional Development Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi, Delhi, lndia-11 0067 ABSTRACT Rainfall over the Indian Sub-Continent is a gamble of monsoon. The spatial and temporal variations in the rainfall over India has led to detonation of water 'surplus' and water 'scarce' basins in the country. The proj.ect for interlinking the rivers in India aims at transferring water from water 'surplus' to the water scarce basin. The paper questions the prevailing reductionist concept of 'surplus' flow in some river basins­ irrespective of its diverse ecological needs and of its diversion to water scarce region. In the background of this debate, the paper touches on the fact that though the interlinking proposal has been made to reduce the water scarcity in the rain scarce areas of western and southern parts of In:dia, the choice of this gigantic project as the appropriate mechanism to accomplish that goal is questioned. Enquiring further into the logic behind the proposal that has formidable cost involved, the author is of opinion that the above observations, it identifies the need for a transparent techno-economic and ·environmental feasibility study and comparison with other options, before the interlinking projeCt is given final approval. With the diverse parameters viz; environmental refugees, water pollution, forest hacking, water logging and salination and sedimentation, paper arrives at following conclusion that, linking of rivers in India is based on supply side hydrology and encourages the inefficient uses of water in agricultural and in other uses, rather than opting for supply augmenting approach government should take care of demand management approach to increase the efficiency of water use. Emphasis should be made on watershed management, river basin planning, dry farming and other grass root initiatives by people's participation. Paper recommends a strong urge for Environment Impact Assessment and Social Impact Assessment studies at various stages of river basins across the nation. KEY WORDS Water S\lrplus and deficit basins, environmental refugees forest hacking, sedimentation, water logging and salination, water pollution and rain water harvesting. INTRODUCTION Water is a prime natural resource, a basic human need and a precious national asset. Planning development and management of water resources need to be governed by national perspective. As per the latest estimate 1993,out of the total precipitation, including snowfall, of around 4000 billion cubic meter (BCM) in the country (India), the availability from surface water and replenishable ground water is put at 1869 billion cubic meter from surface water and 432 billion cubic meter from ground water, can be put to beneficial use. The rapid growth in the demand offreshwater driven by growth in the global population and of the economies, has led to natural resources becoming scarce in many parts of the world. In the global picture, India is Environmental Issues in Interlinking of Rivers in India 237 idet1tified as a country where water scarcity is expected to grow considerably in the coming decades. Erratic and very unpredictable nature of monsoon and spatial and temporal variation in the rainfall over India has led to denotation of water surplus and water scarce river basins in the country. Further, drought conditions resulting from climatic variability causes considerable human suffering in many parts ofthe country, in the form of security of water for both satisfaction of domestic needs and for crop production. India has made big strides in the field of agriculture and industries during the last 5 decades. Due to these efforts, irrigated area in the country has grown from 21 million hectare in 1950 to about 90 million hectare and the food grain production increased from 50 million tones annually'in 1950 to around 200 million tones at present. Thus India has made considerable progress in developing and harnessing its water resources. The future development and management of water resources are going be increasingly difficult since water demands are expected to grow even faster due to improvement in the living standards of the people. The major constrain in the utilization of water is non-availability of storage facilities since river flows occur as flood flows during the short period of rainy season. With the·help of interlinking of rivers and interbasin water transfer projects, about 200-250 BCM can be added to the utilization according to the ·National Perspective Plan prepared by the Ministry of Water Resources. To meet the growing demand of the basic necessity like food, it will be necessary to increase the area under the irrigation to about 160 mha. Interbasin water transfer based on proven technology has a potential of additional irrigation of up to around 35 mha. Closing of the future demand-supply gap would require tremendous effort for developing the various options, amongst which the interbasin transfer appears very promising in national perspective plan at the cost of other cost effective alternatives. Unfortunately, contrary to the professional expectation, no technical details of the interlinking projects are available in the public domain. Except few lines drawn on the map of the country to indicate the rough location of the dams and the canals, nothing is available to the open professional world to verify the justifiability and efficacy of the official claims of benefits from the project, which are also not substantiated by any data. In this background of the complete non-availability of the technical details of the projects for interlinking of Indian rivers, it is not possible to take any clear position on the technical feasibility or otherwise of the claims made by NWDA. Yet, it is not easy to tum a blind eye to a proposal for such a large investment by the nation, which can also drastically alter the hydrographic picture of the country. As a result, in the present paper we have analyzed the governments National Perspective Plan in the light of environmental issues involved in the linking of rivers in India. The objective of paper is to examine the environmental issues that can take place if river linking is going to be implemented in the future. Looking at the experience of other countries (developed and developing), it is clear that the adverse impacts of the inter basin water in less in developed countries in comparison to the developing nations and adverse effects outnumbered benefits. This is not simply because of there advance technology but because of holistic approach towards the water resources management as along with the transfer of water they have also applied rainwater harvesting, drip and sprinkler irrigation methods and dry farming. While in countries like India much emphasis has been given on the supply augmentation. ISSUES IN INTERLINKING OF RIVERS This section deals especially with environmental issues involved in the inter-linking of rivers in India but other issues which include economic, social, political and geopolitical issues. Prominent environmental issues are as follows: Impact on the channel flow, ecological and hydrological usages of water, biodiversity, delta and flood cushions i.e. marshes, evaporation losses, issue of floods and drought, water logging and salination, forest hacking, environmental refugees, water pollution and issues of glacial retreat and its impact on stream flow. But it's very difficult to discuss all these aforementioned issues in this paper so our basic thrust will be on the issues like pollution and forest hacking and environmental refugees. In subsequent sections we will look at these one by one. 238 Environmental Resources and Sustainability Environmental Regugees I Internally Displaced People The term "environmental refugees" now is widely used within both environmental and the humanitarian aid/ disaster relief communities. There are refugees from floods, toxic spills and dump sites, desertification, hydroelectric projects, strip mining, radon and other radiation exposure, severe logging, soil erosion, agricultural land abuse, disease epidemics, defoliation, land mines, and other unwitting or international human activities. Dams cause permanent changes in the land use patterns and in the habitats of people those who are living in the area nearby the site of dams. This is also known as "displacement due to development". Dams and other developmental activities such as; construction of canals and roads, rails are examples of the human induced environmental disasters.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Meyer Glitzenstein & Eubanks
    Meyer Glitzenstein & Eubanks LLP 4115 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Suite 210 2601 S. Lemay Ave., #7-240 Washington, D.C. 20016 Fort Collins, CO 80525 Telephone (202) 588-5206 Telephone (970) 703-6060 Fax (202) 588-5049 Fax (202) 588-5049 [email protected] [email protected] October 4, 2018 By Internet Submission John Urbanic, NISP EIS Project Manager U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District Denver Regulatory Office 9307 S. Wadsworth Blvd. Littleton, CO 80128 Re: Comments on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Final EIS for the Northern Integrated Supply Project in Colorado On behalf of several national, regional, and local non-profit conservation organizations including Save The Poudre: Poudre Waterkeeper (“STP”); Sierra Club, Save the Colorado, Waterkeeper Alliance, WildEarth Guardians, and Fort Collins Audubon Society (“Conservation Organizations”), we hereby submit comments on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (“Corps”) Final Environmental Impact Statement (“FEIS”) for the Northern Integrated Supply Project (“NISP” or “the Project”). These comments incorporate by reference all previous comments individually and collectively submitted by Conservation Organizations and their officers. Although the Conservation Organizations continue to view the length of the comment period as highly inadequate to allow the public and topical experts to fully engage in the many new issues raised in the Corps’ FEIS—let alone to sufficiently analyze them under federal law and the best available scientific evidence—these comments provide a general overview of the organizations’ primary concerns with the FEIS. Towards that effort, the Conservation Organizations incorporate by reference the following expert reports addressing specific aspects of the FEIS and other relevant materials: Attachment A: Water Demand Analysis Report (LRB Hydrology & Analytics) Attachment B: CV of Lisa Buchanan (LRB Hydrology & Analytics) Attachment C: Alternatives Analysis Report (Gordon McCurry) Attachment D: CV of Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Interlinking of Rivers in India: Proposed Sharda-Yamuna Link
    IOSR Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology (IOSR-JESTFT) e-ISSN: 2319-2402,p- ISSN: 2319-2399.Volume 9, Issue 2 Ver. II (Feb 2015), PP 28-35 www.iosrjournals.org Interlinking of rivers in India: Proposed Sharda-Yamuna Link Anjali Verma and Narendra Kumar Department of Environmental Science, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (A Central University), Lucknow-226025, (U.P.), India. Abstract: Currently, about a billion people around the world are facing major water problems drought and flood. The rainfall in the country is irregularly distributed in space and time causes drought and flood. An approach for effective management of droughts and floods at the national level; the Central Water Commission formulated National Perspective Plan (NPP) in the year, 1980 and developed a plan called “Interlinking of Rivers in India”. The special feature of the National Perspective Plan is to provide proper distribution of water by transferring water from surplus basin to deficit basin. About 30 interlinking of rivers are proposed on 37 Indian rivers under NPP plan. Sharda to Yamuna Link is one of the proposed river inter links. The main concern of the paper is to study the proposed inter-basin water transfer Sharda – Yamuna Link including its size, area and location of the project. The enrouted and command areas of the link canal covers in the States of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh in India. The purpose of S-Y link canal is to transfer the water from surplus Sharda River to deficit Yamuna River for use of water in drought prone western areas like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat of the country.
    [Show full text]
  • A Bibliography of Scientific Information on Fraser River Basin Environmental Quality
    --- . ENVIRONMENT CANADA — b- A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION ON FRASER RIVER BASIN ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY . 1994 Supplement e Prepared on contract by: Heidi Missler . 3870 West 11th Avenue Vancouver, B.C. V6R 2K9 k ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION BRANCH PACIFIC AND YUKON REGION NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. L- ,- June 1994 DOE FRAP 1994-11 *- \- i — --- ABSTRACT -. -. This bibliography is the third in a series of continuing reference books on the Fraser River watershed. It includes 920 references of scientific information on the environmental I quality of the Fraser River basin and is both an update and an extension of the preceding -. bibliography printed in 1992. ,= 1- ,- . 1- 1- !- 1 - — ii — RESUME — La presente bibliographic est la troiseme clans une serie continue portant sur le bassin du fleuve Fraser. Elle comprend 920 citations scientifiques traitant de la qualite de l’environnement clans le bassin du fleuve Fraser, et elle constitue une mise a jour de la bibliographic precedence, publiee en 1992. — — — ---- — —. .— — — ,- .— ... 111 L TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract ‘ i Resume ii Introduction iv References Cited v Acknowledgements vi Figure: 1. Fraser River Watershed Divisions , vii ... Tables: 1. Reference Locations Vlll 2. Geographic Location Keywords ix 3. Physical Environment Keywords x 4. Contamination Kefiords xi, 5. Water Quality Keywords xii . ... 6. Natural Resources Keywords Xlll 7. Biota Keywords xiv 8. General Keywords xv Section One: Author Index Section Two: Title Index \ 117 ( L iv INTRODUCTION This bibliography is the third in a series of continuing reference books on the Fraser River watershed. With its 920 references of scientific information on the environmental quality of the , -.
    [Show full text]
  • Water Resource Planning Under Future Climate and Socioeconomic
    PUBLICATIONS Water Resources Research RESEARCH ARTICLE Water Resource Planning Under Future Climate and 10.1002/2017WR020970 Socioeconomic Uncertainty in the Cauvery River Basin in Special Section: Karnataka, India Engagement, Communication, and Decision-Making Under Ajay Gajanan Bhave1,2 , Declan Conway1, Suraje Dessai2 , and David A. Stainforth1,3,4 Uncertainty 1London School of Economics and Political Science, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London, UK, 2Sustainability Research Institute and ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, Key Points: School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK, 3London School of Economics and Political Science, An iterative approach combining 4 qualitative and quantitative methods Centre for the Analysis of Time Series, London, UK, Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK is used to assess robustness of adaptation options and pathways Performance criteria for the Cauvery Abstract Decision-Making Under Uncertainty (DMUU) approaches have been less utilized in developing River Basin in Karnataka are not countries than developed countries for water resources contexts. High climate vulnerability and rapid satisfied under almost all scenarios with or without adaptation socioeconomic change often characterize developing country contexts, making DMUU approaches relevant. A coproduction approach helps We develop an iterative multi-method DMUU approach, including scenario generation, coproduction with target stakeholder priorities in the stakeholders and water resources modeling. We apply this approach to explore the robustness of adapta- hydrological modeling and design of long-term adaptation pathways tion options and pathways against future climate and socioeconomic uncertainties in the Cauvery River Basin in Karnataka, India. A water resources model is calibrated and validated satisfactorily using observed Supporting Information: streamflow.
    [Show full text]
  • Revised Draft Experiences with Inter Basin Water
    REVISED DRAFT EXPERIENCES WITH INTER BASIN WATER TRANSFERS FOR IRRIGATION, DRAINAGE AND FLOOD MANAGEMENT ICID TASK FORCE ON INTER BASIN WATER TRANSFERS Edited by Jancy Vijayan and Bart Schultz August 2007 International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) 48 Nyaya Marg, Chanakyapuri New Delhi 110 021 INDIA Tel: (91-11) 26116837; 26115679; 24679532; Fax: (91-11) 26115962 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.icid.org 1 Foreword FOREWORD Inter Basin Water Transfers (IBWT) are in operation at a quite substantial scale, especially in several developed and emerging countries. In these countries and to a certain extent in some least developed countries there is a substantial interest to develop new IBWTs. IBWTs are being applied or developed not only for irrigated agriculture and hydropower, but also for municipal and industrial water supply, flood management, flow augmentation (increasing flow within a certain river reach or canal for a certain purpose), and in a few cases for navigation, mining, recreation, drainage, wildlife, pollution control, log transport, or estuary improvement. Debates on the pros and cons of such transfers are on going at National and International level. New ideas and concepts on the viabilities and constraints of IBWTs are being presented and deliberated in various fora. In light of this the Central Office of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) has attempted a compilation covering the existing and proposed IBWT schemes all over the world, to the extent of data availability. The first version of the compilation was presented on the occasion of the 54th International Executive Council Meeting of ICID in Montpellier, France, 14 - 19 September 2003.
    [Show full text]
  • 109 2001-USCID-Denver Singh.Pdf
    / NECESSITY OF TRANSBASIN WATER TRANSFER -INDIAN SCENARIO NIRMAL JOT SINGH) A.K. KHURANA2 ABSTRACT Transbasin water transfer is an important activity in the field of water resources development. Although a river basin is the basic hydrologic unit for water resources, the same may not work out to be a proposition for optimum utilisation in the case of surplus water. The assessment may bring out that some basins have surplus water whereas the others may have deficit supplies. The National Water Policy was adopted by the Government oflndia in the year 1987. The policy emphasises the transbasin transfer of water. The policy states "Water should be made available to water short areas by transfer from other areas including transfers from one river basin to another based on a national perspective, after taking into account the requirements ofthe areaslbasins". For meeting the shortages, transbasin transfers of water may be necessary. The necessity of transbasin transfers will depend upon the future projections for the enhanced demand for irrigation, domestic, industrial requirements etc. Considering medium variant, the population ofIndia in the year 2050 AD is expected to be 1640 million as per "Sustaining Water - An Update (1994)" by the United Nations. The food requirement has to be worked out on the same basis. At present, the annual food grain production in India is about 200 million tonnes. This annual requirement of food grain would increase to about 500 million tonnes by the year 2050 AD. Accordingly, it is imperative to have transbasin transfer of water so as to facilitate increased irrigation to meet the food grain production needs and other usages etc.
    [Show full text]
  • Docket 119 Synthesis Iof Comments on the Review.Pdf
    i ii Synthesis of Public Comment on the Forthcoming Review by the Federal Governments of Canada and the United States of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement A Report to the Governments of the United States and Canada January 2006 The views expressed in this synthesis are those of the individuals and organizations who participated in the public comment process. They are not the views of the International Joint Commission. INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION JOINT MIXTE COMMISSION INTERNATIONALE Canada and United States Canada et États-Unis INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION JOINT MIXTE COMMISSION INTERNATIONALE Canada and United States Canada et États-Unis Herb Gray Dennis Schornack Chair, Canadian Section Chair, United States Section Robert Gourd Irene Brooks Commissioner Commissioner Jack Blaney Allen Olson Commissioner Commissioner International Joint Commission Offices Canadian Section United States Section 234 Laurier Ave. West, 22nd Floor 1250 23rd Street, NW, Suite 100 Ottawa, ON K1P 6K6 Washington, D.C. 20440 Phone: (613) 995-2984 Phone: (202) 736-9000 Fax: (613) 993-5583 Fax: (202) 467-0746 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Great Lakes Regional Office 100 Ouellette Avenue, 8th Floor Windsor, ON N9A 6T3 or P.O. Box 32869, Detroit, MI 48232 Phone: (519) 257-6700 or (313) 226-2170 Fax: (519) 257-6740 Email: [email protected] Acknowledgements The International Joint Commission thanks the people from the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River and beyond who took part in the public comment process and whose voices are echoed in this report. ISBN 1-894280-60-1 This report is available online at www.ijc.org.
    [Show full text]
  • The Potential Impact of an Inter-Basin Water Transfer on the Modder and Caledon River Systems
    THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF AN INTER-BASIN WATER TRANSFER ON THE MODDER AND CALEDON RIVER SYSTEMS by NADENE SLABBERT M.Sc. (UFS) Thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Philosophiae Doctor in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences Department of Plant Sciences, Botany University of the Free State Bloemfontein November, 2007 Promotor: Prof. J.U. Grobbelaar D.Sc. (UFS) Co-promotor: Dr. J.C. Roos Ph.D. (UFS) CONTENT Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i TABLE OF CONTENTS ii Chapter 1: An overview of inter-basin 1 transfer schemes and the South African perspective Chapter 2: The Novo Transfer Scheme 35 Chapter 3: The role of turbidity in the rivers 45 and reservoirs of the Novo inter-basin transfer scheme Chapter 4: The chemical and physical 83 characteristics of the sediment load of the Caledon River and its influence on bio- available nutrients Chapter 5: The potential impact of the Novo 91 transfer scheme on the chemical quality of the various waters Chapter 6: The phytoplankton in the various 137 waters of the Novo transfer scheme Chapter 7: Invertebrates in the Modder and 169 Caledon Rivers FINAL CONCLUSIONS 179 REFERENCES 191 SUMMARY 212 OPSOMMING 214 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I wish to express my sincere thanks to the following persons and institution, who made it possible for me to complete this study. Our Heavenly Father, Who made it all possible. My promotor, Prof. J.U. Grobbelaar, for his guidance, advice and encouragement. My co-promotor, Dr. J.C. Roos for his guidance and assistance. Mr. J.A. van der Heever and Ms.
    [Show full text]
  • The Influence of Recent Trends in Water Legislation of the Structure and Functions of Water Administration
    Land & Water Law Review Volume 9 Issue 1 Article 1 1974 The Influence of Recent rT ends in Water Legislation of the Structure and Functions of Water Administration Ludwick A. Teclaff Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.uwyo.edu/land_water Recommended Citation Teclaff, Ludwick A. (1974) "The Influence of Recent rT ends in Water Legislation of the Structure and Functions of Water Administration," Land & Water Law Review: Vol. 9 : Iss. 1 , pp. 1 - 19. Available at: https://scholarship.law.uwyo.edu/land_water/vol9/iss1/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Law Archive of Wyoming Scholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Land & Water Law Review by an authorized editor of Law Archive of Wyoming Scholarship. Teclaff: The Influence of Recent Trends in Water Legislation of the Struct University of Wyoming College of Law LAND AND WATER LAW REVIEW VOLUME IX 1974 NUMBER 1 Universal trends are being recognized internationally in water legislation. Professor Teclaff sees some of these trends as steps to- ward the goal of the river basin as the legal, as well as natural, unit of water administration, with coordinating functions entrusted to a water agency national in scope. The view of water rights is changing from absolute private ownership to increasing regulation by permit systems. THE INFLUENCE OF RECENT TRENDS IN WATER LEGISLATION ON THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS OF WATER ADMINISTRATIONt Ludwik A. Teclaff* T HE idea that recent legislation in different parts of the world could have any widespread and uniform influence on water administration generally presupposes some elements common to a large number of water law systems, in develop- ing as well as developed countries.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessing Net Economic Gains from Domestic and Industrial Water Supply: Cases from NRLP Schemes
    Assessing Net Economic Gains from Domestic and Industrial Water Supply: Cases from NRLP Schemes Nirmalya Choudhury, 1 Ankit Patel 1 and Sanjiv Phansalkar 2 1Consultants, IWMI-TATA Water Policy Program, Anand, 2 Former Program Leader, IWMI- TATA Water Policy Program Summary This paper attempts to identify and evolve a method for valuing and estimating the net gains from domestic and industrial water supply from the interbasin transfer schemes contemplated in the National River Link Project (NRLP). An existing interbasin transfer (IBT) scheme, namely Indira Gandhi Nahar Project (IGNP) and a proposed IBT scheme namely Polavaram- Vijaywada (PV) Link Canal were chosen for detailed analyses. Secondary data were used for identifying the region and the populations that benefited from the schemes. Economic gains arising out of water supply to the actual or potentially benefited areas were estimated. The estimation involved assessment of current costs incurred by the people in the area, in terms of both paid-out costs and time spent in fetching water. The saving in time was valued at market wage rates prevalent in the area and paid-out costs were assessed in terms of current market prices, ignoring the administered prices involved. The gains to urban populations were assessed by estimating the reduction in energy costs incurred by municipal authorities in undertaking the supply. Amortized capital costs for putting necessary hardware for distributing water from the IBT schemes as well as operation and maintenance (O&M) costs of running these schemes were netted from the gains to obtain the figures for net economic gains. More indirect benefits such as reduced drudgery or improved educational performance as well as reduced health expenditure were recognized but were all ignored to ensure greater robustness in the estimates.
    [Show full text]
  • The São Francisco Interbasin Water Transfer in Brazil: Tribulations of a Megaproject Through Constraints and Controversy
    www.water-alternatives.org Volume 10 | Issue 2 Roman, P. 2017. The São Francisco interbasin water transfer in Brazil: Tribulations of a megaproject through constraints and controversy. Water Alternatives 10(2): 395-419 The São Francisco Interbasin Water Transfer in Brazil: Tribulations of a Megaproject through Constraints and Controversy Philippe Roman IHEAL-CREDA (Institute of Latin American Studies), Paris, France; [email protected] ABSTRACT: This paper describes the complex social, political and economic dynamics that led the Brazilian government to launch one of the biggest hydraulic infrastructure projects in the country’s history: the transposição do São Francisco (transfer of the waters of the São Francisco River), a large-scale diversion scheme to transfer water from the São Francisco River Basin to semiarid areas of the Northeastern Region.1 This massive interbasin water transfer, first idealised in the nineteenth century, was turned into reality under Lula’s presidency, at a time when the Brazilian economy was booming and a left-leaning neo-developmentalist coalition had seized power. Such a controversial project has fuelled criticism from a wide social and political spectrum. Between 2005 and 2007, when the conflict was at its highest, large parts of society mobilised against the project, which makes the transposição one of the most remarkable socioenvironmental conflicts in the history of Brazil. The project was given the green light at a moment when water governance was undergoing a process of institutional reorganisation officially aiming at the implementation of more democratic procedures and of integrated governance principles. So, it can be viewed as an anachronism of the 'hydraulic mission' with its supply-side technocratic engineering solutions.
    [Show full text]
  • Inter Linking of Rivers - a Review
    International Journal of Innovations in Engineering and Technology (IJIET) http://dx.doi.org/10.21172/ijiet.144.14 Inter Linking of Rivers - a Review Harbir Singh Scientist ‘C’, CSMRS, New Delhi Abstract. The rivers in India are truly speaking not only life-line of masses but also for nature. The rivers play a very important role in the life of the People. The river system facilitate us in irrigation, potable water, cheap transportation, energy as well as a resource of living for our ever growing population. Some of the major cities of India are located at the bank of holy rivers. Proper supervision of river water is the need of the hour. Indian agriculture mainly depends upon Monsoon which is always vague in nature. Hence, there is a rigorous problem of lack of irrigation in one region and water logging in other region. Damage to crops due to deficiency and pathetic drainage facility could be managed. Depleting and declining status of water resources may be one of the most essential resource issues in the 21stcentury. The core idea of the paper is to study issues and challenges in interlinking of rivers in India and to study ecological collision of Inter-River Linking Project (IRL). Inter-River Linking Project (IRL), issues and challenges Inter-River Linking Project involves multifaceted issues and challenges related to financially viable, environmental, and social costs. I. INTRODUCTION The Inter-linking of Rivers in India proposal has a long history. During the British colonial rule during 19th century engineer Arthur Cotton proposed the plan to interlink major Indian rivers in order to hasten import and export of goods from its colony in South Asia, as well as to address water shortages and droughts in southeastern India (now Andhra Pradesh and Orissa).In 1970s, Dr.
    [Show full text]