Rivers for all

The proposal put forward by Union Minister for Water Resources Saifuddin Soz to identify major rivers as national ones, is an important and courageous one. It shows not just a concern for national interest, but evidence of forward planning. Rivers are a state subject under the Constitution, and politicians have used them cynically to define regional identity and buttress their own relevance. The Kaveri dispute is a prime example. It has caused hostility between two neighbouring regions in the country for over a hundred years 8212; years that have witnessed riots and hate crimes. The tribunal set up to address the dispute laboured for close to 17 years, and even then failed to placate the concerned states.

It is not just the states involved that lose out in such conflicts, but the country as a whole. The opportunity costs of disputes like this are huge. The Constitution, incidentally, seemed to have anticipated this problem and had made provision to empower the Centre to regulate interstate river waters under Entry 56, List I of the Seventh Schedule. So Soz8217;s suggestion may not be as outlandish as some may like to have us believe. These columns have argued for the need to turn the debate from the mere sharing of river waters between states to their management for the benefit of both the local communities and India as a whole. Not only will this help to keep the spectre of drought at bay by ensuring that the river8217;s waters benefit the largest number, it helps to expedite the building of dams to impound water for the dry days and hydro-power projects to generate environment-friendly power 8212; a special requirement in an age that looks askance at thermal-fired power stations.

In any case, the seven major river systems of the country cross too many state boundaries to be considered the property of a particular state. Take the Ganga river basin 8212; it covers approximately 25 per cent of India8217;s land area. How can any one state lay claim to its munificence? The Brahmaputra contains the largest quantity of water of any Indian river. So how can it be seen as belonging only to Assam or Bengal? In fact a national approach to its management would also help mitigate some of the dangers it poses to local communities when it is in spate. Time then to seriously engage with Soz8217;s river sutra.