[Assam] From Assam Tribune/ Innovative Thinking?

Wed Sep 17 19:08:29 PDT 2008

I hear you Alpana.

The point here is WHAT WORKS?

Allow me to give you an example. Imagine your water supply main has 
broken. And you take a soft-drink straw and try to suck it out. It 
WOULD reduce the deluge. But would it make a DIFFERENCE?

Hope it helps.

c-da

PS: WHY on earth would I be mad at you? So glad to hear that you were 
not seriously affected by Ike.

At 6:47 PM -0500 9/17/08, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote:
>Good to hear from you too, C'da. I thought you were so mad at us 
>that you had stopped talking to us :).
>
>>  How would you like to see China damming up the Tsangpo to block 
>>that > part of the water from coming down the Brahmaputra for 
>>example? That > would be a whole lot more reduction of water than a 
>>1 meter diameter > or even 2, pipe carrying water from the 
>>Brahmaputra, would'nt it?
>Again, as long as that takes away the extra water. And as long as it 
>does not back-fire....if for some reason the dam breaks, or it 
>shoudl not overflow and affect the people again by creating another 
>flood season in the winter or whenever that breaks.
>
>Did you hear how desperate the tone in "anything that works" could 
>be from the farmers' point of view, C'da?
>
>For argument's sake, I would say this: after Ike left, we simply 
>didn't have electricity (cooking gas and cell phones were still 
>working), our home was not flooded, neither did our roads, the 
>pantry was filled with canned food and also with our regular rice, 
>daal, beans, potatoes, squash, etc., and what not. Still, we felt so 
>helpless, so disconnected, and was so overwhelmed with depressing 
>thoughts!
>
>We can only imagine how the ones that lost their main home (not the 
>summer house or the farm house), what would they go through, and in 
>Assam's case, by the time they put together things (or not) in their 
>homes after a year's hard work, it's time to loose it all over again.
>
>So I would think that they will look forward to 'anything' that 
>works to stop that. I know it's simplistic thoughts from a 
>simplistic mind (no, I am not upset that you repeatedly say that 
>whenever I bring up or talk about a simple solution to the hardest 
>problem that nobody has bothered to even try solving it by 
>experimenting any other meant too!), but who knows that could be it! 
>And if not this, something needs to be done, but what? Do we have 
>something better in the pipeline? Or, is it something that everybody 
>(but the villagers that really live with the problem) talks about 
>during the summer time and forgets by the winter?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>"When restraint and courtesy are added to strength the latter 
>becomes irresistible."-Mahatma Gandhi, 1931
>"In order to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree 
>and humble like a blade of grass."
>
>  > Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:32:28 -0500> To: assam at assamnet.org> 
>From: cmahanta at charter.net> CC: waterwatch at yahoogroups.com> Subject: 
>Re: [Assam] From Assam Tribune/ Innovative Thinking?> > Good to hear 
>from you Alpana!> > Yes, you are right about "-- get the flood water 
>out of Assam > during the rainy season". But the qualifier 
>'ANYTHING' is where the > problem lies. Look at the "ANYTHING" like 
>solutions that Bihar got > and see what it is doping for its 
>people!> > So, ANYTHING is not necessarily better than NOTHING. Such 
>simplistic > analogies have been at the root of India's many manmade 
>miseries. " > Sob kuch solta hai" is not good policy as you would 
>realize instantly > if only you ponder that for a moment.> > How 
>would you like to see China damming up the Tsangpo to block that > 
>part of the water from coming down the Brahmaputra for example? 
>That > would be a whole lot more reduction of water than a 1 meter 
>diameter > or even 2, pipe carrying water from the Brahmaputra, 
>would'nt it?> > Only an utterly ignorant person would assert that 
>piping water out > from the Brahmaputra would or could alleviate 
>flooding in Assam. > And I am stunned by the journalistic acumen of 
>a newspaper that > lauds it as "innovative thinking".> > While I 
>realize that the good guvnor is a lay person , and old > political 
>animal out in the pasture and as such could not be expected > to 
>have much knowledge about the world of water, one would have hoped > 
>he has or has access to advisers who can at least coach him on 
>what > to say ( and what not to), if not explain successfully. But I 
>guess > that is not something that one can expect from Indian 
>governance, > even today.> > Finally, I am sure you will agree that 
>to remain smug in a world of > know-nothing-ism, isn't much of a 
>virtue, wouldn't you :-)?> > > > > > > > > At 12:48 PM -0500 
>9/17/08, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote:> >Anything that works to get 
>the flood water out of Assam during the > >rainy season so that the 
>villagers don't suffer year after year > >after 
>year.> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >"When restraint and courtesy are 
>added to strength the latter > >becomes irresistible."> >"In order 
>to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree > >and 
>humble like a blade of grass."> >> > > Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 
>09:30:39 -0500> To: assam at assamnet.org> > >From: 
>cmahanta at charter.net> CC: WaterWatch at yahoogroups.com> 
>Subject: > >[Assam] From Assam Tribune/ Innovative Thinking?> > What 
>do netters > >think? Is it innovative thinking as the Assam > 
>Tribune > >characterizes it? Will it "---reduce the flood level in 
>the > main > >river sufficiently" ? Does it sound like a comment 
>from even a > > >remotely informed person or yet another fool's 
>rants? Or could > >AT's > comment reflect utter clueless-ness and 
>demonstration of > >abject > brown-nosing?> > Express yourselves 
>folks! Silence is not > >golden. Silence of the able > is an 
>abdication of citizenship > >responsibilities and leads to the > 
>blunders upon blunders that our > >people have endured for 
>generations.> > cm> > > > > > > > > Governor > >Mathur for diverting 
>Brahmaputra water> > Spl correspondent> NEW > >DELHI, Sept 16 - In 
>what could be described as innovative > > >thinking, Governor of 
>Assam, Shiv Charan Mathur today mooted an > >idea > to create a mega 
>national grid for diverting the water of > >mighty > Brahmaputra 
>River through pipeline to water deficient > >States. The > 
>Governor's proposal can be seen as an extension of 
>the > >river-linking > project, was unveiled at the two-day 
>Conference of > >Governors' hosted > by President, Pratibha 
>Devisingh Patil, here > >today.> > The Governor, who spoke at length 
>on the flood problem of > >Assam, has > reasoned that if crude oil 
>could be brought from > >countries like Iran > and Afghanistan 
>covering a distance of 5000 > >Km. Why can't water of > Brahmaputra 
>River be profitably used by > >water deficient States like > Madhya 
>Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, > >Jharkhand, Delhi and Rajasthan.> > A 
>national grid for supply of > >water would be constructed at > 
>appropriate location in the mighty > >Brahmaputra and the same could 
>be > sent through pipeline to the > >water scarce States in the 
>country, he > said.> > All through its > >course adequate number of 
>boosting stations could be > put to reach > >the water to the 
>States.> > This is going to reduce the flood level > >in the main 
>river > sufficiently. "To have a permanent solution to > >the flood 
>problem we > need to regulate the flow of water into the > >main 
>river from its > tributaries like constructing reservoirs in > >the 
>upper reaches," he > said.> > The river system of Assam has 
>to > >develop in an integrated and > comprehensive way for utilising 
>the > >vast water resources available.> > This is a mega national 
>project, > >which could be planned and initiated > only by 
>Government of India > >by making adequate financial provisions.> > A 
>mechanism is > >therefore, required which would pay back the > 
>investments made and > >survive on its own and also generate 
>adequate > revenue, while > >giving additional benefits of 
>introducing a > nationalist and > >socio-economic fabric of the 
>region by generating > considerable > >jobs and various 
>opportunities, in turn may solve the > prevailing > >unrest in North 
>Eastern Region, he suggested.> > Calling for > >support, the 
>Governor said the mega national project is > the need > >of the hour 
>and should be undertaken by Government of India, > if > >need be by 
>inviting foreign consultants in the field.> > Referring > >to 
>another aspect of the economy, the Governor said there > 
>were > >efforts underway to hold a seminar in December on the > 
>hydrocarbon > >potential and the key aspects of exploring oil on a 
>large > scale in > >Assam.> > Efforts are also underway to provide 
>employment to the > >urban educated > youths by opening new 
>industries, starting new > >universities and by > enhancing the 
>intake capacity of existing > >institutions.> > 
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