Water sharing disputes between states are growing, the latest in the
news being the conflict between Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh over the
Babhli barrage. It puts the spotlight on underlying issues like the
lack of an efficient mediating mechanism for conflict resolution both
within government and the civil society at all levels.
K R Datye, a civil engineer by profession, worked for more than half a century on ideas for the water, energy and infrastructure sectors, ideas that were based on a vision for India of a sustainable, equitable and a democratic agro-industrial society. A critical appraisal of KRD
In the Tungabhadra sub basin (TBSB), Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) is currently seen in a number of smaller initiatives at local scale. The concept of integration is new in water sector and it has for the first time been specified in the National Water Policy (2000), the Karnataka State Water Policy (2002).
The proposal to generate nearly 20,000 megawatts of power by building new power plants on a narrow strip of the Konkan coast is a recipe for an ecological and social disaster. The government should learn from the past experience of such coal-based power plants, reassess the true demands for energy and encourage ecologically sustainable planning, which will also benefit the local people.
Water conflicts in India have now percolated to every level. They are aggravated by the relative paucity of frameworks, policies and mechanisms to govern the use of water resources. This book brings together an impressive sixty-three case studies summarized status of the conflicts, the issues involved and their current position and gives us a glimpse into the million revolts that are brewing around water.
The Sardar Sarovar Project has been the focus of a long drawn-out conflict between the Gujarat government and experts, on the one hand, and anti-big dam activists, on the other. This is a revisiting of the principles behind an alternative that was articulated 10 years ago, but is still relevant today.
