The concern of Hegde and Subhash Chandra about the environment and cost economics of river diversion schemes is
commendable; however, given the limitations of the proposals recommended by the authors, the river diversion schemes
could be inevitable for the reasons mentioned in this note. In addition, it is pertinent to look at the water problem from
a river basin perspective where better options with long-term perspectives can be searched to manage the water crisis of
Bangalore city.

Indian water policies have adopted the current water management paradigms like Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) as early as 1987 and in 2002 mainly to cope with growing challenges of water sector as a result of economic growth, burgeoning population and limited water resources.