Question

Arrival writing
• Facing water crisis

Answer 1

Answer:

India suffers from water shortage for cultivation and drinking despite the fact that many big rivers, some of them perennial rivers, flow through some parts of India. In the south there are the Krishna, Godavari, Cauvery, Tamaraparani, Perilya and other rivers. In the north there are the mighty Ganges, Brahmaputra, Indus, Mahanadi and other rivers. Much of the water goes to the sea unused. Though we have much natural resources like water, minerals, abundantly growing crops and so on, we still suffer, because our knowledge of utilising these natural resources to the maximum advantage is inadequate.

The two States that suffer acute water scarcity sometimes are Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The water reservoirs in many towns and cities were meant for a small population. Even the drains for carrying sewage water were planned and built for a small population. With the increasing population the water available is inadequate to meet the needs of the people. Investigation should be done whether more reservoirs could be built to augment the supply of drinking water to the people.

While the north suffers from flood sometimes, sometimes the south suffers from inadequate water supply. The cultivated fields do not have enough water and the yield of crops is inadequate. People suffer without enough drinking water.

If the northern and the southern rivers can be linked there will be perennial water supply to all the States. First the rivers in the south have to be linked and then the rivers in the north have to be linked. Then both the southern and the northern rivers have to be linked. This is a colossal project. This project involves cores of rupees. Even if the project of linking the rivers is taken up this year it will take several years for the project to be completed. The project may need a huge financial outlay. There may be engineering problems in the linking of rivers as there may be vast level variations between one river and another. It will be a great engineering feat if the rivers in India are linked.