Re: My article in Spotlight on Upper karnali

March 11, 2010

Mr Bihari K Shrestha

Dear Biharijee

Unfortunately, SC too has failed to understand the importance of water resource for Nepal and Nepali people. It has already set a wrong precedent in the case of west seti (we lost the case and have filed a review petition). Current Chief Justice was involved in that wrong precedent. Therefore, we are waiting for this CJ to retire and new one to take up in time for the hearing of the case related upper karnali.

I used to call what I am doing a “campaign.” Contemplating hard, this indeed has become a “crusade”. Thanks for supplying an appropriate word.

You can help in several ways and at various levels. One, please spread the word more widely. A big section of Nepali intelligentsia is “uneducated” about water resource sector. A prominent example is their failure to understand that Nepal’s load shedding problem cannot be mitigated by exporting power to India. There is no need to oppose export of power per se. But it doesn’t make sense to allow cherry picking to export power to India (dedicating best projects generating good quality power at low cost for export) while Nepal is suffering from load shedding problem which is likely to last for decades to come if current policies and attitudes is to continue.

Two, you can also help by asking questions at every opportunity. It’s not necessary that the questions are asked with powers to be and bureaucrats only. If you were to ask the critical questions with lay consumers, it will occur to and dawn on them that exporting power doesn’t solve Nepal’s energy crisis (I have been getting scolded by my own relatives for my opposition to this project on the plea that its completion will ensure end of load shedding!). Then if you could encourage them to speak up and if more consumers do speak up then may be the defective vision, short sighted policies and self serving attitudes will be changed.

Same is true for other sub sectors of water resource (electricity is only one sub sector), like drinking water, irrigation, fishing, navigation, recreation, etc. I firmly believe that water resource sector, if properly handled (exploited at optimum capacity in the interest of Nepal and Nepali people), can metamorphose this country’s economy and people. Unfortunately, Nepal is going the wrong way by getting projects like west seti implemented - high quality power at cheap price to India and giving water stored by inundating Nepali land and displacing Nepali people free of cost to India.

With best regards,

Sincerely,

Ratna Sansar Shrestha

From: bihari [mailto:bks@wlink.com.np]
Sent: Tuesday, March 9, 2010 22:45
To: Ratna Sansar Shrestha
Subject: Re: My article in Spotlight on Upper karnali

Dear Ratnajee,

Thank you for giving me all these revealing details. I only hope that the SC would take up the case soon, and have the Energy Ministry and the NEA stand in the dock to do some explaining. I am sure the event would at least create a precedent also for other sites where there would be a big difference between the optimum and applied-for capacities.

Thank you once again for all these instructive details. Is there any way I too could be of help in your "crusade"?

Warm regards
Bihari
----- Original Message -----
From: Ratna Sansar Shrestha
To: Bihar Krishna Shrestha
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 11:26 AM
Subject: Re: My article in Spotlight on Upper karnali

Dear Biharijee