RE: DipakG on Re: Fw: Your article on Karnali project in "Yo Sata"

March 3, 2010

To: Chiran S Thapa
Cc: Dipak Gyawali
Subject: RE: DipakG on Re: Fw: Your article on Karnali project in "Yo Sata"

Dear Chiranjee

I have one more number for your consideration. Arun III is now expected to cost $ 2,137/kWh only. Please note that there hasn’t been any change in the status of infrastructure (access road and transmission network) needed for the project. At that time the apologists of aborted Arun III used to trot out the excuse of lack of infrastructure to justify the high cost. If you were to check, even Enron offered to build this project at this very level of cost if it was “given” Karnali Chisapani.

In this backdrop it will be justified if you were to ask me why am I still critical of new incarnation of Arun III. Besides, the breach of constitution as Dipakjee has pointed out, it is sheer foolishness to be exporting power from this project when Eastern Development Region is being ravaged by power famine (14 MW to meet existing demand of 250 MW and potential demand of 600 MW by the time this project gets ready).

With best regards,


Sincerely,

Ratna Sansar Shrestha, fca
Senior Water Resource Analyst

http:www.ratnasansar.com/

-----Original Message-----
From: Dipak Gyawali [mailto:dipakgyawali@ntc.net.np]
Sent: Tuesday, March 2, 2010 14:36
To: C.S. Thapa
Cc: Ratna Sansar Shrestha
Subject: Re: DipakG on Re: Fw: Your article on Karnali project in "Yo Sata"

Dear Chiran,
Thanks for the reply. Before I comment on other issues, have you seen this
discovery of the new heaviest element, from whose black hole, apparently
10,000 to 25,000 MW of electricity can be generated? News clipped below.

Now on the "practical realities" mentioned by your water worthy (don't tell
me, I'll guess myself, in fact I have engaged with them but, in public, they
keep tucking their tails and run like vanquished curs); I would love to know
what those "practicalities" are. If only these worthies bothered to come
forth publicly with those arguments, it certainly would help the likes of
Ratna Sansar and self get more educated. However, let me re-cap what I think
are their "practicalities" as I currently understand them (in the absence of
anything public from their side):

a) donor-baad: whatever the donors say is right. In fact the Great Mahat (as
opposed to the Lesser Mahat, who recently hired 15 dance bar girls directly
to taha 2 of the Nepal Bidyut Apradhikaran) once challenged Bikash Panday,
Ajaya Dixit and self: Bishwa Bank le raamro bhanisakepachhi Arun-3 naramro
bhanney tapain ko??

b) lampasaar-baad: in front of the Mughlani Sahu. Even violating one's own
constitution and its article 126/156(new interim). When individuals like us
can challenge the Mughlani Sahu or Washingtonian Sahu for that matter, what
prevents these worthies who have a massive army of supporters in their rank
and file to be scared of "academic" arguments and resort to hiding behind
the phariya of "practicalities"? Can't figure out!

c) phatangress-baad: Even when Nepali private sector has ACTUALLY BUILT
hydropower project in the same roadless Arun valley at $1400/kW, to keep
claiming that one that was estimated at $5400/kW was good and would have not
led to load shedding right now is what this "practicality" is all about.
If there is some other definition of practicality, would sure love to know.

Jai Hos!

DipakG

NEW HEAVY METAL DISCOVERY
A major research institution has recently announced the discovery in Sudan
of the heaviest chemical element yet known to science. This new element has
been tentatively named "UNium 312". UNium has one neutron, 12 assistant
neutrons, 75 deputy assistant neutrons, and 224 assistant deputy neutrons,
giving it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by
small forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of
lepton-like particles called peons.

Since UNium has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be detected as it
impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A tiny amount of
UNium causes one reaction to take over 4 days to complete when it would
normally take less than a second for other elements. UNium has a normal
half-life of four years; it does not decay but instead it undergoes a
reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy
neutrons exchange places. In fact, UNium's mass will actually increase over
time since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons,
forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some
scientists to speculate that UNium is formed whenever morons reach a certain
quantity in concentration. This hypocritical quantity is referred to as
"Critical Morass." You will know it when you see it.

When catalyzed with money, UNium becomes BUreaucracium 13, an element which
radiates just as much energy since it has half as many peons but twice as
many morons.

When catalyzed with Nepali SPAM, UNium becomes UNMINium sixmonthium, with a
perpetual half-life of six-month units, that is similar to a black hole
sucking in everything and not even giving out any light!



----- Original Message -----
From: "C.S. Thapa"
To: "Dipak Gyawali"
Cc: "Ratna Sansar Shrestha"
Sent: Monday, March 01, 2010 6:32 PM
Subject: Re: DipakG on Re: Fw: Your article on Karnali project in "Yo Sata"


Dear Dipak,

I get to read your articles in the Spotlight and have read the latest one.
I have mentioned both your name and Ratna Sansarji's to a person I consider
knowledgeable on water issues and he says that the problem with both of you
is that you are academic in your presentations and don't face up to the
practical realities. He told me this specifically on the Mahakali Treaty.
You probably have guessed who the person is, not anyone that you have
mentioned in your e-mail.

I'll read your books eventhough committing to memory most of Stephen
Hawking's The Theory of Everything is taking some time. I have overextended
myself also on reading or rereading Baburam Acharya's works.

If only we could manage to get gamma ray quanta from primordial black holes
to get ten thousand Megawatts. The black hole would have the mass of a
mountain compressed into the size of the nucleus of an atom. A challenge
for our physicists?

Best,

Chiran





On Mar 1 2010, Dipak Gyawali wrote:

>Dear Chiran,
> I just could not help jumping in on this debate. You seem have
> forgotten the bottom line: thank god for the collapse of Arun-3, because
> Nepal then ended up getting a third more electricity at half the cost,
> half the time!!! Just look at the numbers!! Even the World Bank is
> convinced of that (talk to Richard Stern, their then director of
> infrastructure with whom Bikash Pandey and I had to debate, also at the US
> Treasury in Washington DC in 1994); and please remember that they pulled
> out, not because of environmental issues (on Arun-3, we are on record
> saying there were practically none), but because their bad economics was
> irrefutably proved as outrageous.
> And the good Dr Mahat, with all his "baal hath", continues to mislead
> (as in today's Kathmandu Post) Nepali intellectuals and worse, his party,
> because of which both Deupangressis and Girijangressis ended up becoming
> Phatangressis and antatwogatwa Thangressis. Jai Loktantricksters!!!
> If you are interested in knowing where and how you are as misled by
> Mahatonomics and Bhadronomics, my book Rivers, Technology and Society (Zed
> Books, London, 2003, same earlier by Himal Books and Panos as Water in
> Nepal, 2001), especially its chapter on Arun-3 and the appendices with it,
> should help. Nobody so far has managed to refute what I have written in
> this long decade past, nationally or internationally. Hope you get to see
> my nasty political pieces that I pen for Spotlight once a month. The last
> one (still on the web) did talk of how much of a phatangressi sahuji Nepal
> Sarkar has become. It is going to be a topic of discussion later this week
> at the national conference of some 300 community electricity users across
> the country! Jai Hos! DipakG
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Ratna Sansar Shrestha To: Chiran S Thapa Sent: Monday, March 01,
> 2010 9:42 AM
> Subject: RE: Fw: Your article on Karnali project in "Yo Sata"
>
>
> Dear Chiranjee
>
>
> Thanks for your rejoinder.