[Assam] Water Rights

[Dilip and Dil Deka]

Netters not familiar with "Bheta" will thank you for the information. This humble soul has seen Bheta in Nalbari area, when he spent periodic vacations in his ancestral village. There were also stories of a few altercations stemming from "Bheta Diya", at micro - micro level.

Anyway, the news talked about "without government help" and linking three rivers. All of that implies a bigger project than a simple "Bheta".
Then I saw some white (plastic?) sandbags in the picture, indicating an intent to build something more permanent across the river later.
I was just curious. It may not be anything serious like the Great Indian River Linking project that is supposed to cause great ecological disaster. :-)



________________________________
From: Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at charter.net>
To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world <assam at assamnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 3, 2009 8:54:21 AM
Subject: Re: [Assam] Water Rights

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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