Dear Dr. V. N. Sharma,
In 6 decades India had not proposed to Nepal India’s desire to develop Hydro Power potential of Nepal which is $2000b in developing 40,000 MW capacity with about 60 to 100 BCM storage. 200 billion units of green power shall be generated every year at 5 cents a unit would be $10b annual revenue to Nepal or 10 times its current budget and more than its current GDP.
It shall light up entire Nepal 80% or more shall be sold to India. India, Nepal and Bangladesh shall get 200 BCM or more of regulated water releases and provide fool proof flood control protection.
It is your Outdated Mindset (DK Mishra also) that you continues to advance PRIMITIVE arguments against dams. Over 20 big dams are already built from Bhakra to Tehri in last five decades. Himachal alone is developing 20,000 MW of Hydro Power. We had severe earth quakes in Kashmir and in region around Tehri in Uttarkashi.
Proven technology like concrete gravity dam (Bhakra) can withstand any earthquake. Mismanagement in civil structures is partly due to shortage of capital resources.
3500 kilometers of embankments in Bihar didn’t generate revenue BUT Corruption only. Most of the money went in to the pockets of contractors and politicians.
You mind is set in 1960 time frame when Bhakra Dam which is not very big considering the potential in Nepal is 30 times more was like Draupdi, its benefits shared by 5-6 states representing about 20% of India’s population. Idiots are pursuing $120b river linking project for 5 years. So money is not a constraint this time.
Entire foothills of Nepal shall get huge amount of water, power, irrigation and flood control benefits with investment of under $100b.
Silting is not a problem as made out by dubious engineers. Bhakra siltation rate is 25 million cubic meters which means it shall fill up to 9 BCM in 360 years- more 500 years since many other dams of close to 8000 MW are coming up in Sutlej basin.
Maintenance problem of gadget is again an out dated idea of an era when these gadgets were made in garage like factories. Gadgets presently are cheap in comparison and last lifetime without service.
Surely you don’t plan for Katrina but Tsunami and Kosi Floods and Floods in Punjab this year were entirely avoidable because we had untrained officials bungling up in preventing these major calamities.
Finally I would like to say that poor Nepalese and Indians living along Nepal border in fragile homes will get severely affected like in Kashmir earth quake, Dams will improve their standards of living manifold to Cement Mortar built SAFER homes, even the worst earth quake will cause little harm.
I am now rushing to meet Prachanda.
Ravinder Singh
September15, 2008
"Dr.V.N. Sharma"
Dear Sri Ravinder Singh,
Your Article does not take into account that Kosi area lies in the worst seismic zones of the world. With this in mind a dam will be dangerous like a sword ever hanging over the head. The deluge and the loss of humans and properties is expected to be much more than what the world has seen in Kosi this year if dams breakdown due to Earthquake.
You have assumed ever flourishing corruption in India but your proposals do not take them into account. There is no culture of routine or planned Maintenance in our working except in central PSUs or Private industries - we wait for the break downs even for our domestic gadgets. Govts are champions of this Breakdown- Maintenance culture. All the time silt gets deposited but no silt removal programme is ever on.
Our Engg thinking is intentionally backward. For North-South flowing flood we have East- West Rail-Roads on almost the same ground level. What can be expected except anarchy and chaos during such a calamity as Kosi Floods 2008 when there was complete break down of Rail Road communication.
World without dams cannot be thought of in today's world because once a Technology or Engg marvels are created they do not go back as they provide both money and comforts to the elites of the society. But this cannot be a prescription for all the time and all the places. Loss of Human lives and properties cannot be allowed to be put to experimentation for ever.
I must confess that I don’t claim to be a Flood control expert.. So it is a result of common sense approach in which no satellite pictures of American and European rivers have been taken into account. And anyway the richest and most efficient country equipped with all the resources and Advanced planning is not coping up with 100% success with the natural disaster. So they cannot be cited as examples for every place and every occasion.
In view of this and many other aspects I request you to think in terms of Kosi without dams.
Dr.V.N.Sharma
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