We at VJTI always strive for excellence. Expanding our reign we bring to you our annual Technical Festival- Technovanza’08.This will be held on 13, 14 and 15 January 2008.This National Level Festival will see participation from talented students from all over the country and a large number of general public will also be attracted as we host a large number of exhibition events in addition to our participation events. One such event is the ambitious INTERLINKING OF RIVERS- A Solution to India’s Problems.For many years we are having two situations in our country. On one hand we have a regular problem of floods where vast regions of many states are inundated with water leading to a catastrophic loss of life, livelihood, cattle and crops.While simultaneously on the other hand we have vast regions of the nation facing a dire problem of water shortage leading to very harsh living conditions and limited economic prosperity.We at VJTI endeavour to solve both these major national issues in one shot- by presenting you with our Mega Event- Interlinking of RiversAs per internationally accepted standards if annual per capita water availability is· Below 1700- region is termed as water stressed
. Below 1000- region is termed as water scarcePer capita annual water availability (cu.m/capita/year)
· The past· 1951 : 5177· 2001 : 1820· Future estimates· 2025 :1341· 2050 :1140As per internationally water availability standards, India is water stressed today and will be water scarce tomorrow.India has an Uneven water availability indicated by the following:a. India has highly uneven water availability in space and timeb. The country receives rain fall for only 3-4 monthsc. The Brahmaputra-Barak-Ganga basin accounts for 60% of surface water resourcesd. This region is also rich in ground watere. Western and southern India experience severe deficit in both surface and ground water.f. 60% of the country experiences water deficit, while parts of the country suffer from floodsSo the need of the hour is in diverting water from the “surplus” to the “deficit” regions in the country. Thus not only will the incessant floods be controlled but we can achieve drought mitigation to a large extent.This will have numerous advantages.
AGRICULTURAL BENIFITS
The projected benefit in terms of agriculture include 25 million hectares of irrigation from surface water, 10 million hectares by increased use of ground water, totaling to 35million hectares which will be over and above the ultimate irrigation potential of 140 million hectares. India has one of the lowest yields of cereals at 2134kg/hectare of land. Hence expanding the irrigated land area is one way of increasing food production.
POWER GENERATON
It is estimated that net 34,000 MW of hydro-power will be generated as a result of this project. But this figure is a little biased because in most cases of inter basin transfer, it is understood that the requirement for pumping water across basins exceeds that produced by tapping the potential energy of the water. We plan to arrive at an accurate estimate.
INLAND NAVIGATION
We also propose that some of the canals be opened for inland navigation. It will not only connect the North with the South but will also lead to multiple economic benefits and substantial saving in terms of imported fossil fuel.
CHALLENGESPOLITICAL CONSENSUS
We also will address the pitfalls accompanying such a massive undertaking. The major problem will be achieving a political Consensus not only between our states but also involving China, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Dams will need to be built in Nepal and Bhutan, in order to store the surplus water and later divert it to deficit regions. Water that flows into Bangladesh will now be diverted from upstream by India. Both Nepal and Bangladesh need to be taken into confidence regarding the project which has not been done so far. Also China controls the flow of water in the Brahmaputra, Indus and Sutlej Rivers. China is considering a proposal to build a dam on Yarlung Tsangpo (which becomes Brahmaputra in India) which will generate 40000 megawatts of energy. If this project goes through, the entire equation of ‘surplus’ and ‘deficit’ in India will change. This project and other similar grand projects being planned by China have the capacity to completely throw India’s plans off the mark.
REHABILITATION
Also there is the question of Rehabilitation. It is a serious issue which needs to be addressed with sensitivity as their will be numerous people especially rural and tribal population who stand to loose their lands and sources of livelihood. Even if they are rehabilitated, will they be ever able to resettle? They are the ones, who are paying the price, are they the ones who are benefiting from the project?
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Also we have to address the question of predicting the large scale environmental impact that this project can have. It needs to be investigated and ensured that it will not in anyway harm the country’s future by inflicting upon it environmental and natural resource destruction which might take ages to reverse.Thus at VJTI we plan to build a to-scale model of the country’s topology showcasing the interlinking of rivers which can solve two of India’s major problems. This has been attempted only once previously by IIT Roorkee and we plan to implement it successfully here at VJTI.Hoping to see you all attend our festival and enjoying the same while simultaneously learning about new ideas and innovations from our students.
. Below 1000- region is termed as water scarcePer capita annual water availability (cu.m/capita/year)
· The past· 1951 : 5177· 2001 : 1820· Future estimates· 2025 :1341· 2050 :1140As per internationally water availability standards, India is water stressed today and will be water scarce tomorrow.India has an Uneven water availability indicated by the following:a. India has highly uneven water availability in space and timeb. The country receives rain fall for only 3-4 monthsc. The Brahmaputra-Barak-Ganga basin accounts for 60% of surface water resourcesd. This region is also rich in ground watere. Western and southern India experience severe deficit in both surface and ground water.f. 60% of the country experiences water deficit, while parts of the country suffer from floodsSo the need of the hour is in diverting water from the “surplus” to the “deficit” regions in the country. Thus not only will the incessant floods be controlled but we can achieve drought mitigation to a large extent.This will have numerous advantages.
AGRICULTURAL BENIFITS
The projected benefit in terms of agriculture include 25 million hectares of irrigation from surface water, 10 million hectares by increased use of ground water, totaling to 35million hectares which will be over and above the ultimate irrigation potential of 140 million hectares. India has one of the lowest yields of cereals at 2134kg/hectare of land. Hence expanding the irrigated land area is one way of increasing food production.
POWER GENERATON
It is estimated that net 34,000 MW of hydro-power will be generated as a result of this project. But this figure is a little biased because in most cases of inter basin transfer, it is understood that the requirement for pumping water across basins exceeds that produced by tapping the potential energy of the water. We plan to arrive at an accurate estimate.
INLAND NAVIGATION
We also propose that some of the canals be opened for inland navigation. It will not only connect the North with the South but will also lead to multiple economic benefits and substantial saving in terms of imported fossil fuel.
CHALLENGESPOLITICAL CONSENSUS
We also will address the pitfalls accompanying such a massive undertaking. The major problem will be achieving a political Consensus not only between our states but also involving China, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Dams will need to be built in Nepal and Bhutan, in order to store the surplus water and later divert it to deficit regions. Water that flows into Bangladesh will now be diverted from upstream by India. Both Nepal and Bangladesh need to be taken into confidence regarding the project which has not been done so far. Also China controls the flow of water in the Brahmaputra, Indus and Sutlej Rivers. China is considering a proposal to build a dam on Yarlung Tsangpo (which becomes Brahmaputra in India) which will generate 40000 megawatts of energy. If this project goes through, the entire equation of ‘surplus’ and ‘deficit’ in India will change. This project and other similar grand projects being planned by China have the capacity to completely throw India’s plans off the mark.
REHABILITATION
Also there is the question of Rehabilitation. It is a serious issue which needs to be addressed with sensitivity as their will be numerous people especially rural and tribal population who stand to loose their lands and sources of livelihood. Even if they are rehabilitated, will they be ever able to resettle? They are the ones, who are paying the price, are they the ones who are benefiting from the project?
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Also we have to address the question of predicting the large scale environmental impact that this project can have. It needs to be investigated and ensured that it will not in anyway harm the country’s future by inflicting upon it environmental and natural resource destruction which might take ages to reverse.Thus at VJTI we plan to build a to-scale model of the country’s topology showcasing the interlinking of rivers which can solve two of India’s major problems. This has been attempted only once previously by IIT Roorkee and we plan to implement it successfully here at VJTI.Hoping to see you all attend our festival and enjoying the same while simultaneously learning about new ideas and innovations from our students.
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