[Assam] Water Rights

[Chan Mahanta]

Not being familiar with the exact issues 
involved, I cannot give a definitive answer to 
the question. But  I offer few things to consider 
along with:


	**** The picture showed a bamboo and 
possibly mud structure, a check-dam of sorts.
	It will get washed away with the first 
heavy rainfall of the next monsoons.

	**** Check-dams usually do not deprive 
downstream users of water significantly, even
	though it  does in the short run, until 
the level builds up to the dam height if 
impounded.
	In this case the water, at least some of 
it  is being diverted to the "Mora kopili", so it 
will
	not build up , but continue to move away 
to the oxbow lake like "mora-kopili". Which
	means that, it is likely to leave the 
Nikhari dry downstream of the 'bund' for the rest 
of
	the dry season.

	**** Ordinarily, such an act would not 
go unchallenged by down-stream users, IF they
	actually use the water are dependents of 
it. Farm irrigation for example. Or drinking 
water.
	Or whatever. Fact is that in Assam such 
water sources are rarely tapped for any such 
activity.
	In fact there might have been CELEBRATION 
downstream -- with community fishing, where
	whole villages turn up to catch the fish 
in the remaining pools and puddles. It is quite
	common  in rural Assam. In upper Assam it 
is called "bhetaa diya" ( damming).  Word gets
	out fast----"O' kaiti, kaile' naamdangot 
bheta dibo nohoy, jjaabi-ni? " ( Hey bro, tomorrow
	they will dam the Naamdang river, are you going?).

	A bit of Kharkhowa culture here for you :-).

	****  I don't know if you have seen the 
'Moraa Kopili" . It is beautiful when it is flush 
with water
	in the monsoon, but is a cesspool of 
filth during the dry season, when it becomes the
  	community toilet, cattle grazing ground, 
pig-stys, dhobi-ghaat and children's playground, 
all
	in one. The dry bed, pock marked with 
stagnant and highly polluted pools and puddles
	of water of assorted colors, possibly 
fertile breeding ground for mosquitos, will tell 
you that it
	is not good for man or beast.

	So, will water diverted from the Nikhari 
do good to the Mora Kopili and the people around 
it,
	or more harm?

	My guess is that it will be marginally better.










At 6:13 AM -0800 2/3/09, Dilip and Dil Deka wrote:
>As I read the report, I started thinking if the 
>water rights of the villages downstream of the 
>bund have been violated?
>Aren't those villagers opposing? If they do, will there be a lawsuit?
>Water rights at micro level now!   Any comment from anyone?
>
>>From the Assam Tribune:
>
>
>
>Farmers from 13 villages of Daboka area in 
>Nagaon district constructing a bund on Nikhari 
>river without any government help to divert the 
>river water to Mara Kapili, Dibaru river and 
>then to Dimaru river on Monday . - EP
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