#nrlp

Kerala’s all-women network to start Anti-Trafficking Centres

Thiruvananthapuram: In view of increasing cases of human trafficking reported across the state, Kerala’s all-women neighbourhood network Kudumbashree has drawn up a plan to start Anti-Human Trafficking Centres in three selected districts.

The AHTCs, being set up under the Centre’s National Rural Livelihood Project (NRLP), is envisaged as a relief for the survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking.

The National River Linking Project (NRLP) is a project envisaged to hunt three birds with one stone. Mitigate water shortage in Western and Southern India, while channeling the recurrent floods in Ganga basin. This is supposed to be one of the biggest inter basin water transfer projects in the world, while bringing large parts of land under irrigation and improve water available for industrial use.

          Is it doable? Definitely. Inter basin water transfer has been tried and tested elsewhere in the world. But is it possible in India? Not so much. 

Firstly, It is customary in our political scenario to assess it in terms of votes, caste and corruption rather than feasibility and utility. 

Second, The economic, social and environmental costs outweigh the benefits of undertaking NRLP. It is just not possible to rehabilitate people elsewhere. Where to? Even if people can be moved, what about the rest of the biodiversity?

The only river linking project where an MoU has been signed so far is the Ken-Betwa between UP and MP but the matter is now stuck in the ministry of environment over the submergence of some parts of the Panna Tiger Reserve.

And another project of same kind, the Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal project is said to provide irrigation facilities to 0.155 lakh hectares in MP in dry areas such as Machalpur, Jirapur, Susner and Garoth and also 0.016 lakh hectare in Rajasthan between Pidawa and Piplada. Chambal catchment areas of Bhind, Morena and Gwalior will gain great irrigation potential, while generating 70 MW of power and  providing drinking water for a population of 4.30 lakh But even so, on 16 July 2011, MP government receded from talks, stating that the state does not benefit from the project. 

When two states ruled by the same political party are not showing encouraging results, how is it even possible to get a consensus at national level? 

Finally, is NRLP the only answer? Definitely not. There are several cost effective options available for water management. One of my professors, a reputed hydrologist at NIH think that NRLP is just not doable in India. If at all a govt undertakes it, it would be solely for corruption. 

In my opinion, a pilot project can be undertaken. This will suggest whether there is a prima facie need to link two different river basins. A non government, international, independent authority should undertake SCBA and EIA.