total usable water resources. Population is
The Large Dams of Coloroda becoming
increasing but real effort to conserve water
non-viable
is not in the offing. Large contractor driven
The terrible drought afflicting the Western
engineering
solutions like interlinking of
USA has initiated discussion about water
river or large Dams are not the solution of
management in the region. It started
India’s water problem. It has already been
questioning the usefulness of dams and other
proved that large part of undulating hilly and
infrastructure that supply water to cities and
plateau areas of Central India require people
farms throughout the region. In the early
centric decentralised Gram panchyat level
1900s, the US government started building
water conservation strategy and it requires
number of dams on the Colorado River to
an elaborate local Govt. level egagement.
harness its water and distribute it far outside
There is no dearth of money but it takes well
the river's natural course; hundreds of Kms
intended governance.
into Arizona and California. The dams,
particularly the Hoover Dam, were also
NEWS:-
intended to control the torrential floods that
Environmental disaster in Marthwada
would come downstream in big water years.
Marthwada
in
Maharashtra
has
been
witnessing severe draught over the last few
“Glen Canyon Dam was built in the 1950s,
years. This year 2016 has been the worst
to meet the requirement of the upper basin
with many farmers’ suicide. The place is a
states on the Colorado River to hold back
classic example of an environmental disaster
water. So they wouldn't have to give more
in the wake of climatic change. Vidharva too
is undergoing similar changes. The disaster
questions the lack of systematic actions plan
for
agricultural
research
and
disaster
mitigation in the face of climatic change.
The region is undergoing major socioeconomic changes. It is most likely to be
ravaged by droughts even more frequently
than they were legally required to the
southern states. Now, with climate change
and a drought that shows no sign of abating,
the reservoir at Lake Powell might have
outlived its usefulness, especially given the
amount of water that is lost to evaporation.
In the past it was not as important as now,
and face socio-economic devastation on a
when water becomes more and more scarce.
gigantic scale.
Presently Lake Powell loses about 43200 Ha
M of water each year through evaporation.
2
Integrated River Basin Management Society