Find long term solutions to control floods, says Kalam

Alamatti, Karnataka, Aug 21 (UNI) Expressing concern over the largescale destruction caused by the recent floods in several states, President A P J Abdul Kalam today called for evolving a long term solution to control them by aligning it to the interlinking of river project.

Speaking after dedicating the Upper Krishna Project to the nation here, he said the engineers should streamline a plan to develop projects for storing surplus waters that wastefully flow into the seas so that they can be utilised for utilisation at times of drought.

He said the recent experience of unexpected high monsoon activities in certain regions and states revealed the need for forecast of cloud formation and scientific flood management. ''We can construct layered wells to assist gradual reduction in dynamic flow and use the stored water after monsoons. This can be done in the Gangetic region as well as North-east. This scheme can be included in the interlinking of rivers programme,'' he added.

Dr Kalam suggested that Karnataka could create state-wide waterways connecting major rivers. It could have 400 km-long waterway, generating 2000 MW of power and providing additional irrigation to 2.3 million acres of land using the flood waters, he added.

''For equitable distribution of water across the state, balancing dams can be built at the inter-connection points of the waterways.

The waterways can also be used as water navigation system and this can be included in the state planning. The project should ultimately lead to interlinking of inter-state rivers to be integrated with the state water resources connectivity,'' he said.

To harness flood water from Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, the President Kalam said the state government could go in for step dams, irrigation canals and water storage lakes and ponds. Likewise the Goan government could interlink rivers Zuari and Kalay through installation of pumps and gravity flow, he added.

Dr Kalam said a network had to be created in certain states to link rivers and other water bodies like lakes and tanks.

''During the recent floods, we witnessed the rivers of one state creating flood in different region cutting across multiple states.

It means, nature wants our states in India to support each other unitedly through technology during difficult as well as good times,'' he added.

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