SIWI Compromised Water Prize – Sunita Narain Dropped It Again – Excl
SIWI Compromised Water Prize – Sunita Narain Dropped
It Again – Excl
When someone is
‘Undeservedly Awarded’ he or she shames us for decades. It is most shocking for
her to term dry conditions in Maharashtra a
month from first monsoon shower after Normal Rainfall year when Dams were full
to their best storage levels. Evidence shows Maharashtra
is best in Managing Water Resources. Live dam storages at the end monsoon is 32
BCM compared to annual 40 BCM all river flows in California. In addition Maharashtra
has millions of tube-wells which Sunita Narain has not considered as source of
water supply.
SIWI Executive would find her
comments Trouble Making Lose Talk. She doesn’t attend ‘Water Events in India’
since SIWI Water Award – at one such event I told her junior 2008 – Cost of RWH
structures is Rs.1400 per M3 that rarely work compared to just Rs.10 per M3 for
Dams that last 100 to may be 500 years in some cases. This she had referred in
her Fifth and Sixth comments.
Sunita Narain was Most
Unworthy Recipient of SIWI water prize. She was promoting Rain Water Harvesting
even in states that get over 1000mm rains or in Delhi that lets through it
7000mcm of monsoon waters.
She dropped SIWI Water Prize
in 2008 when she advocated Road Side Rain Water Harvesting to capture – CSE
weird calculation – 500 BCM of water that is much than all the water charged
naturally by rainfall all over India
and in flows through rivers and lakes and ponds.
Here yet again she dropped
SIWI Water Prize in her May14 article on drought in Maharashtra.
The problem with her is that
she doesn’t have her own Understanding of The Issues like Agriculture, Water
Management and therefore relies on others or simply news reports. She doesn’t
understand May is not the ‘Farming Time In Rainfed Areas’ therefore lands in
such areas are Bone Dry. My response to her pointed reply follows.
First. – Maharashtra received Normal/Good Rains in last two
seasons. Rainfall surely is unpredictable but Dams were holding RECORD Live
Storage. But crops are largely affected during germination and early growth.
Second. --
This most FOOLISH general Irresponsible
observation that usage of potential is 40% when dams were/are holding 31.578
BCM of live storage compared to 36.713 BCM live capacity – 86% at the end of
monsoon. This is almost 20% of India
for 10% geographical / cultivable area and 9.5% population.
On May14, 2012 when no Farming
Operations are underway in Rainfed areas, Maharashtra
still has 7.081 BCM of water or 19% for just 4-5 months of non farming period.
Third. – This
comment too is most foolish – Industry is located around Pune that has almost
40% live storage capacity of 10.763 BCM plus say 4 BCM in private dams
classified as D in the report. Amravati
still has 0.555 BCM (May14) of 2.420 BCM live storage in dams end monsoon.
In her comments mentioned
about Upper Wardha project – as CWC report of 10-05-2012 Upper
Wardha has 30% of live storage capacity almost 60% more than state
average.
Fourth. --
It is foolish to say Maharashtra is
using water inefficiently when Maharashtra has very elaborate Water Accounting
procedures best in India
at least.
It was Grossly Irresponsible
for Sunita Narain CSE to allege Maharashtra is producing 66% of Sugarcane in India
when actual figure is barely 18%.
But most foolish – it ‘Area
Under Sugarcane’ that is important not the percent of production – Maharashtra
has just 0.7 million hectares under sugarcane which 3% of gross cultivable area
in Maharashtra and 0.3% of India.
For comparison I have provided data for Foodgrains also. Maharashtra
has 12 million hectares under food-grains. Maharashtra
has large area under Oilseeds and Cotton also.
She erroneously singled out
Sugarcane for drought in Maharashtra.
Fifth. -- ‘So we do not factor in the need for recharge
of groundwater.’ THIS IS THE MOST STUPID OF HER COMMENTS – Maharashtra has over
2436 Dams – one for every 50,000 Population with 36+ BCM live storage could be
diverting 60 BCM of water in to farms every year over and above water recharge Rainfalls
and rivers and other Water Bodies. (There are thousands of RWH ineffective
structures also in Maharashtra.)
Six. -- She
doesn’t attend ‘Water Events in India’ since SIWI Water Award – at one such
event I told her junior 2008 – Cost of RWH structures is Rs.1400 per M3 that
rarely work compared to just Rs.10 per M3 for Dams that last 100 to may be 500
years in some cases.
Most graceful.
Ravinder Singh
May15, 2012
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