MyVoice: Views of our readers 5th August 2021

No end to water wars for now

Madabhushi Sridhar has written an informative article on the difficulties between the two Telugu states and the involvement of the central government on the issue of Krishna and Godavari rivers. Fresh water will be the reason for future conflict and violence across the world in the future.

Timothy Clack, in his book 'Ancestral Roots', describes this as 'War of the World'. Water 'scarcity' and 'stress' are less than 1000 and 1500 cubic meters of water per person per year respectively. In the next three decades, fresh water coming mainly from rivers, would be a cause for severe fights unless we utilise our technology and environment in a proper manner. Fresh waters make up less than 2.9 per cent of all water on the planet, and of this only 0.007 per cent is accessible for use.

River water control is a source of conflict from a district level to an international level. As an informed professor involved in water management tells, river water should be under a central scientific body; ideally one body for each individual river.

Each river has a specific way for utilisation without degrading it and without causing an environmental damage. Many factors come into play apart from a simple flow. Though an important consideration, it is rarely an equation of saying that since 50 per cent of the river is in one state, it should get 50 per cent of the river water. That would be a recipe for disaster on a broader scale.

It was perhaps a Constitutional error to make river waters a combined Central and State subject. All kinds of politics and not science now determine how we utilise the precious river waters. The political equations also play a role as the Centre allegedly favours one state over another. Madabhushi gently alludes to this in the article.

Narrow parochial interests take over the larger interest of the nation while managing water resources. River Jordan is a source of trouble in the Arab world even as China interferes with Brahmaputra, a potential issue in the future between not-so-friendly countries. Narmada, Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery are all causes of conflicts between districts, states, and regions in the country today.

Dr Pingali Gopal, Warangal

Development and Olympic medal

This refers to report "Lovlina's star campaign gets new road in her native village (THI 4 August). Justifying daily increase in price of petrol and diesel, quite often BJP spokespersons and other leaders who appear in TV claim that compared to previous government their government under the leadership of PM Modi are roads much faster.

In Assam the party has been in power for more than five years now and it requires boxer to win a medal to get her village connected with motorable road shows the reality. What is more worrying non-sports taxpayers across India, in addition to paying probably become a sportsperson to get proper infrastructure.

If the party in power expect the taxpayers to get Olympic medals, to bring development we have to wait for four years in effect in five years, we cannot expect any development! With Lovlina finally managing to win Bronze, the road will not be left incomplete., hopefully, for not winning silver or gold!

N Nagarajan, Hyderabad

English enhances global connect

This is with reference to the article "Telugu and English on equal footing". No doubt one should love his own mother tongue, but that does not mean to hate other languages especially the English language thinking that it was pushed on us by colonial British

This is not correct. Why don't you think that they have made us to learn an international language which helps the present software engineers where the first question the interview board member would ask whether he can fluently speak English which is a dire need in their companies as it deals with different countries.

English is only the universal language with which we can manage in more than half of the countries and also different states of India where there are n number of languages. It may be unwise to ask children to unlearn English language in a bid to promote our mother tongue.

In fact, we have been still practicing many acts which were introduced by the Britishers for example the Section 66A. Then what is wrong in learning English language when it is highly useful to the public. Even now also I observe that public see people speaking English with high esteem.

peaking in our own language is not a crime and learning a language that fetches us a job is not an offence. In my case I worked in Tamil Nadu for five years between 2000-2005 and learnt Tamil. I can still speak Tamil and feel pride. Hence I appeal to all English language hate people including political leaders not to discourage people who speak English, instead encourage them.

TSN Rao, Bhimavaram