River-linking unsuitable for India: Rajendra Singh

Magsaysay awardee says project would harm the ecological balance, besides causing large-scale destruction of green belt

River-linking project is not at all feasible in India, said Magsaysay awardee Rajendra Singh, popularly known as the ‘Water Man of India’.

Speaking to Business Standard in Dharwad on Thursday, Singh who was in the city to receive the Honouris Causa conferred by the UAS, Dharwad, said instead of linking rivers, the country needs linking of brains and hearts with the rivers so that they are conserved.

He said, the project would harm the ecological balance, besides causing large-scale destruction of green belt. The project would also lead to corruption and malpractices as in other water-related projects, he added.

He said, a few politicians were floating the idea of linking rivers and wondered how the so-called high level officers and experts too were vouching for the idea.

“Rivers are like the veins in human body. One cannot cut the veins and join it with another person's. If the veins in the human body are altered, it would result in death of the person. Similarly, if the rivers are diverted according to the will and wish of mankind, it would harm the environment,” he added. Rivers should be allowed to follow their own course Singh said.

Disapproving the experts’ argument that floods and drought could be contained by linking the rivers, Rajendra Singh said such a move would pose much more danger to the flora and fauna.

The water conservation schemes launched by the governments, including the one in Karnataka have been engineering works aimed at conserving surface water. Nothing has been done to conserve the water table. The administrators and engineers have focused on engineering aspects and have ignored the geo-hydro science which deals with underground water. This is the reason why despite spending thousands of crores of rupees on irrigation, the impact has not been much in Karnataka, he asserted.

“Karnataka Me Jawani, Paani aur Kisani ko Bachaana Hai” (Youth, Water and Agriculture needs to be preserved and protected in Karnataka) Singh said.

In Rajasthan, more than 8,600 sqkm of land was declared as a ‘dark zone’, wherein there was no water availability on the surface and sub-surface. The villagers in this region had abandoned their lands and migrated to other states in search of employment. However, within a decade, this land was converted into ‘white zone’, where water is available round the year.

This project grabbed the attention of the entire world and even water experts from Sweden and other nations have declared this as a role model. With the help of the farmers seven rivers which had dried up, were rejuvenated due to effective water conservation methods, he said.

The need of the hour is to stop water evaporation. Here, the water should be conserved in the sub-surface so that it cannot be evaporated. When this scheme has been a success in Rajasthan, which receives very less rainfall, this model will turn a boon for Karnataka, he added.