Accepted Papers - 3.pdf - UNESCO

ut definitely they are not substitute for large dams
and interlinking of river basins. RTRWH has
assumed overriding priority due to unjustified
hype created by several NGOs and self-styled
environmentalists. RTRWH can hardly solve even
fraction of the water requirement needs of the
entire country. A family requires 300 cu m of
waters per year of domestic use. In an area
having rain fall 100 mm, the roof top size required
would be 3600 m 2 . The roof top requirement for
agriculture purpose would be eight times more
than domestic use.
SOCIAL & ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF
FLOODS – HARDLY REPORTED BY
MEDIA?
Over 40 m.ha. of India experiences periodic
floods. The average area affected by floods annually
in India is about 7.5 m. ha of which crop area
affected is about 3.5 m.ha. Floods have claimed on
an average 1529 human lives and 94000 cattle ever
year. Apart from loss of life and domestic property,
the devastating effects of floods, sense of insecurity
and fear in the minds of people living in the flood
plains is enormous. The after effects of floods like
the agony of survivors, spread of epidemics, non
availability of essential commodities and medicines
and loss of their dwellings make floods most feared
natural disaster being faced by human kind. Crops
grown in the flood plains suffer from congestion of
water on the farmlands. Management of the surface
water becomes a very tricky operation in the flood
prone areas during periods of heavy rainfall. Floods
also affect the vulnerable aquatic and wild life,
forests, mangroves and precious bio-diversity in
the flood plains. Large-scale damages to forests,
crops & precious plants and deaths of aquatic
and wildlife, migratory and native birds in various
National Parks, Delta region, low altitude hilly
areas and alluvial flood plains of Assam,
Arunachal, Uttrakhand, U.P., Bihar, Orissa, West
Bengal etc. are matter of serious concern but
hardly reported by media. River Valley Projects
moderate the magnitudes as well as frequencies of
floods. While some projects are specially designed
to provide flood cushion in the reservoirs along with
other benefits, others also help in reducing the
magnitude of floods with proper operation and control
of gates.
SOCIAL & ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF
DROUGHTS – HARDLY REPORTED BY
491
MEDIA?
Over 265 million people live in drought prone
area of about 108 m. ha. (1/3 rd of the total area).
Thus, more than 26% of total population of the
country face the consequences of recurring
droughts. During drought years, there is a
marked tendency of intensive exploitation of
ground water, resulting in abnormal lowering of
ground water table thus accentuating the distress.
Grave adverse impacts are borne by flora, fauna
and domestic cattle and the very life itself fights
against nature for its survival. Droughts affect
rural life in several ways. This accentuates
problems in cities in the form of mushrooming of
slums and pressure on the existing civil amenities
thereby adversely affecting urban life. River
Valley Projects are designed to provide ‘carryover’
storage in the reservoirs to help in
mitigating the droughts.
POWER MANAGEMENT - ARE WE
HEADING FOR DARK DAYS?
Thermal and hydro are the two major sources
of powers. Thermal power production requires
burning of fossil fuels, which seriously affect the
environment adversely. Pollution caused by burning
of fossil fuel to meet energy requirements is causing
global concerns. Option lies in using the alternate
non-polluting sources of energy like solar and
hydropower. It is a matter of alarming concern that
the share of hydropower in the total installed capacity
in India has been declining in successive plans. In
1962-63, hydro projects had a 50% share in the total
installed capacity which has gradually declined to
24% against ideal ratio of 40%. Such a dismal share
of hydrothermal mix is adversely affecting the
optimal utilisation of natural and financial resources
besides resulting in failure of power grids. Economic
rapid exhaustion of the exploitable sources and
superiority of hydropower has been further enhanced
in the recent years with the steep increases in the
prices of fossil fuel. India has to import fossil fuel
to meet the thermal power needs at a huge cost.
Hydro power generation by constructing large and
medium storage reservoir projects to use the head
for water drop substantially helps in utilisation of
water resources, 75% of which is presently draining
down to the sea unutilised. Notwithstanding its
inherent benefits and availability of vast potential in
India, the pace of hydro development has so far been
very slow. Major constraints for slow development
of hydro potential are mainly obstacles by activists,