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We, the signatories to this statement, wish to record our utmost concern at the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s judgment of 27 February 2012 on the River Interlinking Project (rip),
The Supreme Court’s verdict directing the Government of India to implement the interlinking of rivers seems to have overlooked the regional and international implications of what the Indian Court strangely considers “the rivers of the country”. Just Bangladesh shares 54 rivers with India. Any unilateral action by India on any of its international rivers will degrade its relations with its neighbours while also adversely affecting its ecology, economy and society.
The idea of a national interlinking of rivers needs to base itself on the past six decades’ experience of river and fl ood control measures. A contribution from Bihar shows that not only is the state’s “surplus water” tag a bit incorrect, the very structures – dams, canals and embankments – which are proposed to implement the river interlinking project have been a big failure. Then what explains the enthusiasm for this failed idea?
The proposal for addressing the twin problems of floods and water scarcity by interlinking rivers is based on an outdated and dangerous idea of surplus river basins from which water can be drawn at will. Global experience shows how damaging such plans of large-scale water transfer are to the environment, economy and livelihoods of the people. Such plans have also proved a failure to either prevent fl oods or provide water on a sustainable basis. It is unfortunate that water policy in India remains a prisoner to such obsolete ideas.
A decade has gone since the first line of metro started in Delhi in 2002. Despite its expansion across the city in the past 10 years neither pollution nor congestion levels have gone down as claimed by its advocates. An analysis of the revenue generated by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation through property development and the rise of property prices adjacent to metro routes and stations suggests that the metro is entangled with the larger process of gentrification in the city.
This study provides insights to some of the key functions of the Integrated Child Development Scheme and health services in the management of childhood under-nutrition in six key empowered action group states. It explores the underlying process and determinants of under-nutrition and the manner in which these two key services are playing out their role and scope in contributing to the management. Despite the recent emphases on management of under-nutrition, the health services are yet to respond to the enormous challenges in a signifi cant manner.
Fungi strongly influence ecosystem structure and functioning, playing a key role in many ecological services as decomposers, plant mutualists and pathogens. The Mediterranean area is a biodiversity hotspot that is increasingly threatened by intense land use. Therefore, to achieve a balance between conservation and human development, a better understanding of the impact of land use on the underlying fungal communities is needed.
