Status of inter-linking of rivers plan

Like Ram both Congress and BJP claim ownership of proposal of Interlinking of Rivers. On the status of inter-linking of rivers plan across the country, Shivraj Patil , the Home Minister said it was a difficult proposition pending since the days of K L Rao, who had mooted the proposal during the Indira Gandhi regime. Ananth Kumar of BJP objected to it, saying the plan was mooted by the Vajpayee government and the Supreme Court has sought to know its status. He was speaking in the last session of the parliament.

But the Home Minister said the Centre would have no difficulty in giving its nod to plans relating to linking of rivers within a state provided it did not affect neighbouring states.

Like ILR project both the parties support Sethusamundram ship canal project too, the difference of opinion is with regard to a technical issue of alignment.

Given the political consensus on both the projects , environmental groups seem to be living in a fool's paradise sans any teeth.

Water Sovereignity

Our lives are indeed a paradox! While we harness the best of globalised economy to enrich personal lives albeit materialistic, much of our thoughts have yet to be liberated from the notion of nationalism. Human lives are being shaped by the obsessive forces governing trade and markets. Our life, lifestyle and livelihood stretch beyond the limits of the nation-state! Isn't protection of sovereignity a fallacy of sorts when life is dependent on free trade of goods and services across borders? One is not arguing in favour of `give-in' to the forces of profit and desire but to articulate a position that confronts such paradoxes. !t is indeed a tough call.

As the life fluid falls prey to the forces of market via privatisation and gets traded across borders through liberal sanctions given by the State, how well are actions to protect waters within the narrow confines of blurring political boundaries justified? If survival and well-being are the mute issues justifying such position, how can regional cooperation be enhanced to confront the greatest challenges of climate change? Need it be said that strategies towards collective survival stretch beyond borders. While food sovereignity has long been compromised, are we not heading towards a world order that may (and should) value water as global commons to be protected and shared across living beings?

Is it just a wishful thinking or an idea whose time has come!

Dr Sudhirendar Sharma