River Sarasvati to flow into Gujarat

[Guest guest]

Making plans to revive mythical river:

 

[india News]: Ahmedabad, Oct 14 : A revived Saraswati river, thought

to be mythical by many, could be arranged to flow through Gujarat

within three years and even solve India's water problems, says an

expert.

 

"Saraswati will be flowing in Gujarat in three years' time and it

will

provide perennial water to the state," said S. Kalyanaraman, director

of the Chennai-based Saraswati River Research Foundation.

 

A part of an irrigation canal in the neighbouring state of Rajasthan

is coincidentally superimposed on the route of the Saraswati. And

when

the Rajasthan canal is extended in both directions, it would result

in

the veritable rebirth of the river, he explained.

 

He said the river, mentioned in Vedic literature, was a reality and

not a myth even though a section of scholars doubt the historicity of

the river.

 

Its route was traced on the basis of satellite pictures, which

tallied

with the geographical indicators mentioned in ancient texts,

Kalyanaraman pointed out.

 

"The priority now is to revive the river with a view to solving the

present water crisis in the country. The rebirth of the Saraswati

will

be an unparalleled project in human history," he said in a

presentation of his findings.

 

According to Kalyanaraman's proposal, the canal should be joined via

an aqueduct with the Mahakali-Karnali river (also known as Sharda),

which originates in the Mansarovar region of Tibet.

 

Kalyanaraman claimed that shifting the tributary of the river was in

the offing, as it was part of the perspective plan drawn up by the

National Water Development Agency for creating a national water grid.

 

Once perennial waters of the Himalayan glaciers reach it from the

river, the Rajasthan canal could be extended from Barmer to the

seashore in Gujarat's border district of Kutch.

 

"The canal needs to be extended by only 200 km to solve the water

shortage of Kutch. It can be accomplished in about three years,"

Kalyanaraman told IANS.

 

The marshy desert's perpetual water problems could be solved with the

Mahakali river flowing into the extended canal, which would be

equivalent of the rebirth of Saraswati, he said.

 

However, no feasibility studies have been carried out yet and the

ambitious project remains at the level of a proposal.

 

"There is no water shortage, but a crisis of water resources

management. We should learn to make best use of natural resources

from

our ancestors. India's agricultural production can be doubled with

the

revival of Saraswati," he said.

 

--Indo-Asian News Service

 

http://www.keralanext.com/news/?id=55247

 

http://news.newkerala.com/india-news/?action=fullnews&id=36445

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