The
IX th Plan Document forewarned Indian Government of the danger ahead. "It
is grossly a misplaced conception that India is a water rich country and
water is a free commodity. Amongst 121 countries where per capita
availability of annual renewable fresh water in 1990 was only more than
1695 cubic meters, India ranked at 108th position. Further according to a
number of studies conducted in India and abroad, India's per capita water
availability status is likely to move from marginally vulnerable (as in
1990) down to water scarcity in the year 2025 onwards. Further the plan
documents spell a clear perspective for the inter basin transfer of
water." The plan document also finds its echo in party manifestoes that
too the ruling party's manifesto. The political resolution passed at the
National Council meeting of Bharatiya Janata party held at Nagpur in
August 27-28 of 2000 urged "the government to consider a time bound
program to link Ganga and Cauvery rivers." Yet no attempt to translate an
electoral promise is being undertaken.
Writ Fails
Dravida Peravai, a tiny party registered with the Election Commission of
India initiated steps to seek the intervention of the Supreme Court, but
unfortunately as the lawyer engaged back stabbed the petitioner and
withdrew the case, the Writ Petition (Civil) No.496/2001 while was taken
up on 19 th November 2001 Hon'ble Justice B.N.Kirpal and Hon'ble Justice
K.G.Balakrishnan ordered as follows: "The writ petition is dismissed as
withdrawn." To seek the highest courts directive to direct the government
to fix a time frame for interlinking of rivers, thus ended in a failure.
Water Crisis in Delhi
The recent press reports indicate the alarming water crisis, and those who
had dilly-dallied on
interlinking of rivers are going to receive the curse of generations to
come. The Chief Minister of Delhi Ms.Sheila Dixit publicly confessed that
the quality of tap water in South Delhi is poor, and in several areas,
water was not available at all through normal distribution lines.
Awakening to the situation Delhi Jal Board is going to sell 20 litre jars
of pure drinking water at a cost of Rs 15, and compared to what private
suppliers of mineral water sell @ Rs.40, this price is said to be cheaper.
But the irony is water is becoming costlier than milk, and daily wage
earning poor have hereafter shell out money to buy water too. The
Hindustan Times (July 18-2002), which broke this news, also stated that
Jal board loses 40% of water due to leakages. To plug the leakages and
loopholes, perhaps her present mandate is insufficient. And perhaps the
Chief Minister will shed crocodile tears while her party will incorporate
a slogan on water in its next manifesto. After all by coining slogans like
Garibi Hatao, India voters can be swayed, elections in past has proven. So
without solving problems our political class can capitalize on poverty to
water scarcity. Narrating the reasons of the water crisis Ms.Sheila Dixit
states that as against the requirements of 775 MGD of water, Delhi is
getting 640 MGD every day. Haryana has to supply 125 cusecs of water, but
is not providing more than 90 cusec on average a day. Inter state water
disputes wherein regionalism playa havoc with maximum utilization of
natural resources for the common benefit of Indians, is another curse. The
row between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over Cauvery is a typical example of
a dispute that can never be resolved, while people have to suffer.
Bizarre Rituals to Rain God
While the scenario of Delhi and elsewhere is moving towards deterioration
day by day, people have lost faith in their governments, whichever party
that rules there. A report in The Hindustan Times (July 17-2002) states
that at every night scores of women in a village in Etawah District of
Uttar Pradesh, not very far from Taj Mahal, take off their clothes and
till the fields stark naked. One local official admitted that there is a
common belief in the villages that king Janak (father of Goddess Sita) and
his wives themselves ploughed the fields at night naked, when his kingdom
faced a severe drought. And the heavens soon opened up, the belief exists
till day, resulting in woman tilling soil in nudity. People facing the
drought and let down by the ruling elite are resorting to such bizarre
rituals. Are we, as a civilized country going to watch helplessly such
rituals, while we lack the political will to tackle the water crisis
ahead?
ACT: Government Must be Told
Tata Energy Research Institute in a report states: Despite national
average of 2464 cubic meters of water per capita a year, several parts
face water scarcity. Take the Brahmaputra valley, where percapita
availability is 18,417 cubic meters per annum while it is 411 cubic meters
in the basins of the peninsula's east flowing rivers. Why plenty in one
area and scarcity in another, why not divert as both are within our
country?
In present days world half of the worlds population lives on less than $ 2
dollars a day, a quarter on less than $ 1 dollar a day, one third has no
access to electricity, a fifth has no access to clean drinking water, one
sixth is illiterate, and one in seventh adult and one in five children
suffer malnutrition. The irony is that a majority of the human population
is relegated to poverty while a few in society are feathering their nests.
Though this is a global phenomenon every Government that swears in the
name of democracy is duty bound to ensure that wealth is evenly
distributed bridging the rural and urban divide. It is contrary to the
very spirit of democracy that majority which exercises its franchise and
gives the mandate to the rulers remain losers in the end when the benefits
are garnered by a miniscule minority.
Most of the governments of the III rd World are bearing the brunt of
debts; there has been some
concern by the institutions like International Monetary Fund over the
mounting debt burden of the
third world countries. In fact historical precedents show cancellation of
debts promotes prosperity and does not affect access to international
capital in the long term. In the late 18th Century, USA cancelled its
debts to the British crown. In the 20th century, the Russian state debt
was cancelled in 1918, as also the war debts of the UK and France and the
debts of the South American states after the 1929 Wall Street crash. In
1953, 51% of Germany's war debt was cancelled. In all cases the result was
considerable economic expansion and subsequent access to international
capital. In fact there are certain legal arguments legitimizing such debt
cancellation, most notable among them are the principles of "odious
debt" and "force majeure". Having all this in mind Indian
government must have made an effective demand for debt cancellation
aligning with the thirrd world countries. It is crystal clear that unless
India comes out of its debt traps the development of the rural and poverty
stricken peoples and projects like interlinking of rivers is next to
impossible. While the World Bank and the Heavily Indebted Counties
Initiative are discussing to ease the debt burden of 23 countries mainly
from Africa, India has missed the bus. The new Finance Minister Jaswant
Singh must strive to get India out of debt trap at the same time mobilize
international capital to inter link national rivers and to give boost to
an agrarian economy.
Water crisis, famine, violent movements, rural unemployment all are
inter-connected and landmines
hidden in the path of peaceful progressive march of our nation.
� Nandhi Varman
July 21, 2002
General Secretary � Dravida Peravai
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Water
Famine Ahead
The
IX th Plan Document forewarned Indian Government of the danger ahead. "It
is grossly a misplaced conception that India is a water rich country and
water is a free commodity. Amongst 121 countries where per capita
availability of annual renewable fresh water in 1990 was only more than
1695 cubic meters, India ranked at 108th position. Further according to a
number of studies conducted in India and abroad, India's per capita water
availability status is likely to move from marginally vulnerable (as in
1990) down to water scarcity in the year 2025 onwards. Further the plan
documents spell a clear perspective for the inter basin transfer of
water." The plan document also finds its echo in party manifestoes that
too the ruling party's manifesto. The political resolution passed at the
National Council meeting of Bharatiya Janata party held at Nagpur in
August 27-28 of 2000 urged "the government to consider a time bound
program to link Ganga and Cauvery rivers." Yet no attempt to translate an
electoral promise is being undertaken.