Dead Floods!!!

It has always been a constant nagging factor for me when I hear the politicians in India talk about connecting rivers. There is a real concern when there is draught or scarcity of water in any part of the country. Water a big source or survival and sustenance for all of us.. So connecting the rivers in this country is no doubt a very good proposal. I have been wondering the mammoth task that we are talking about when we say connect rivers.. is it a fantasy or a reality looking at the sheer geographic spread that our country has.. It is massive task!!!!

But then there was a much bigger surprise that struck me was when I was flying from Chennai to Mumbai and the areal view of the land scape that lie in between was one of the most fascinating features that I ever notices. I was amazed by the human structures that have come up every where and the way that we have tried to connect each of these structural blocks which we call then as Cities, Villages, Town etc. some of them are geometrically well designed while most of them do not seem to have any close resemblance to any geometrical shape. This is mostly dependant on the economical development of the cities.. What struck me most was the dry patches of long serpentine dry patches which passed through most of these so called human marvels...

After a good look I realized that these were nothing but river beds.. Some of the river beds seem to be as wide as 1/2 Km.. but what is remaining now is nothing but the sediments.. I felt the vibrancy which these rivers could have had when they were young and flourishing.. Now most of these rivers have dried and died their natural deaths or have just become some 'Nalas' . The number of these dried beds are not a few here and there but they are every where and they are large in numbers. I remember some of these nalas have ended up into a small pond or lake and some of them have moved into the dam areas.. The near by areas seem to be still fertile and they are cultivated fertile lands which have been there for quite a while.. Human presence has created what now seems to me a calamity..

Looking at these dry patches, I wonder if we would have preserved our old heritage and nature we would not have come to this situation of connecting rivers.. rather we would have been more water rich.. We need to think to really save the nature now or else we never would be able to have any more rivers in future....