[Assam] From Assam Tribune/ Innovative Thinking?

Chan Mahanta cmahanta at charter.net
Wed Sep 17 20:51:12 PDT 2008


Hi Alpana:

Let us assume for a moment that *I* don't have any solution.  Would 
that mean that what the guvnor proposes is A solution , if NOT THE 
solution?


Or IF someone criticizes a  non-solution, but does not have a 
SOLUTION of his own, mean that the non-solution should be considered 
a solution? In other words, if I don't have a solution, the guvnor's 
proposal stands as A solution?


Not that I am entirely out of it Alpana. I just presented a  POSSIBLE 
solution for discussion and debate. Perhaps you ought to look at it 
and criticize it or endorse it.  Or offer something else that would 
not be a straw against a broken water-main, like the good guvnor has 
proposed. Is that fair?










At 9:43 PM -0500 9/17/08, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote:
>What is your suggestion then? What would work, C'da? Let's hear it.
>
>Also, to some, is it like - Paani Nidiu, laagile xei paaniye aamaar 
>logote aamaar ghor-xompoti -u dubaai niyok.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>"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 21:08:29 -0500> To: assam at assamnet.org> 
>From: cmahanta at charter.net> CC: waterwatch at yahoogroups.com> Subject: 
>Re: [Assam] From Assam Tribune/ Innovative Thinking?> > 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.> > > >_______________________________________________> > >assam 
>mailing > >list> > >assam at assamnet.org> > >http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org> >_________________________________________________________________> >Stay > >up 
>to date on your PC, the Web, and your mobile phone with 
>Windows > >Live.> >http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/msnnkwxp1020093185mrt/direct/01/> >_______________________________________________> >assam > >mailing > >list> >assam at assamnet.org> >http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org> > > > >_______________________________________________> 
>assam mailing 
>list> > >assam at assamnet.org> > >http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org> >_________________________________________________________________> >See 
>how Windows Mobile brings your life together-at home, work, or on 
>the 
>go.> >http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/msnnkwxp1020093182mrt/direct/01/> >_______________________________________________> >assam 
>mailing 
>list> >assam at assamnet.org> >http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org> > > 
>_______________________________________________> assam mailing list> 
>assam at assamnet.org> 
>http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
>_________________________________________________________________
>Stay up to date on your PC, the Web, and your mobile phone with Windows Live.
>http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/msnnkwxp1020093185mrt/direct/01/
>_______________________________________________
>assam mailing list
>assam at assamnet.org
>http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org





More information about the Assam mailing list