RE: जलस्रोतको अवसान

June 29, 2012

To: 'Surya Nath Upadhyay'; 'Ratan Bhandari'
Cc: 'Dipak Gyawali'; 'Ajaya Dixit'; 'Gopal Siwakoti 'Chintan''
Subject: RE: जलस्रोतको अवसान

I am happy that we are having such a discourse which will help clear up thinking process. I have a few cents to contribute:

West Seti project
• It should be designed/implemented as a multipurpose project for Nepal; using augmented/regulated flow of 90 m3/s to irrigate land (about 270,000 ha) in the downstream reaches of the project in Nepal in districts inter alia Doti, Achham, Bardia, Banke, etc.

• If it is not possible to irrigate 270,000 ha land in Nepal for lack of land, then we can give the remaining augmented/regulated flow to India on condition that India recompenses us perhaps on the lines of Columbia Treaty or on the basis of what Lesotho is getting from South Africa.

• In case India refuses to recompense as mentioned above then the project should be optimized with an eye on Nepal’s irrigation requirement, which may entail downsizing it with salubrious impact on inundation and involuntary displacement.

Diverting the flow of Bheri
• As I am not aware about provision of storage on this scheme, dry season flow from West Seti cannot be compared with it.

Difficult neighbor
• We cannot keep on surrendering our rights in the name of difficult neighbor. What has been done in the case of Koshi, Gandaki and Mahakali should suffice.

Storage projects
• Some people have compared downstream benefit accruing to India with light spilling outside in the street as light is turned on in a room or even the smell of Basmati rice while being cooked. Downstream benefits are much more valuable than smell of Basmati rice or light spilling in the street; as implementation of a storage project entails negative externalities like inundation and involuntary displacement which doesn’t happen by light spilling in the street or Basmati rice
With best regards,

Sincerely,



Ratna Sansar Shrestha, FCA
Senior Water Resource Analyst
http://www.ratnasansar.com/


From: Surya Nath Upadhyay [mailto:surya@upd.wlink.com.np]
Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2012 20:46
To: Ratan Bhandari
Cc: Ratna Sansar Shrestha; Dipak Gyawali; Ajaya Dixit
Subject: Re: जलस्रोतको अवसान



Dear Ratan Bhandari Jee,

Thank you very much for compliments. Just for your information In none of my articles I have denied the principle of downstream benefit. On the contrary, I was one among the negotiators in the Mahakali where we successfully persuaded India to agree to this principle.The program that you are referring to is the one in which I was neither a presentator nor a commentator. If you had any problem with Smec people I think you better sellte your scores with them as you wish. So far as the downstream benefit in west set is concerned the new change where the negotiation is going on between three gorges and the government is not changing the situation than what it was in the case of smec.Perhaps one needs also to look at the issue in rather broad way in which you have the option of diverting the flow of Bheri to the needy area in Nepal and thus alomost off=setting what is going to be added through west seti in Karnali during the dray months. Since there is a complex situation between Nepal and India in the case of storage projects either we don't do the projects without negotiating with India or we prioritize the one which would to its maximum limit all the benefits within the territory of Nepal.As you know we have a difficult neighbour and hence prudence requires that we devise our policy carefully, continue negotiating and prioritize the projects.Thank you.

SN



----- Original Message -----

From: Ratan Bhandari
To: surya@upd.wlink.com.np
Cc: Ratna Sansar Shrestha ; Dipak Gyawali ; Ajaya Dixit
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 8:24 PM
Subject: जलस्रोतको अवसान

नेपाली भूमिमा पानी जम्मा भइ छिमेकीको तल्लो भूभागमा लाभ पुग्छ भने त्यस्तो लाभमा पनि न्यायपूर्ण भाग पाउनुपर्छ । - सूर्यनाथ उपाध्याय । कान्तिपुर दैनिक २०६९ असार १२

सूर्यनाथ उपाध्यायसरलाई आजको कान्तिपुरमा प्रकाशित जलस्रोतको अवसान शीर्षक लेखका लागि धेरै धन्यवाद । तर बिगतमा उहाँ स्मेकलाई बुझाइएको पश्चिम सेती जलविद्युत आयोजनाको परामर्शदाता हुँदा यही कुरामा अहसमति राख्नुहुन्थ्यो । बिगतमा पश्चिम सेतीको तल्लो तटीय लाभ लिने कुरामा सहमति जनाउनु भएन । उहाँको जलस्रोत विकास संस्थाले होटेल रोयल सिंगीमा गरेको पश्चिम सेतीसम्बन्धी कार्यक्रममा यही कुरा उठ्दा उहाँले स्वीकार्नु भएन । तत्कालीन जलस्रोत मन्त्री विष्णु पौडेल, जलस्रोत सचिव शंकर कोइराला, स्मेकका प्रतिनिधिको सहभागिता रहेको उक्त कार्यक्रममा ममाथि हातपातको प्रयाससमेत भयो । सूर्यनाथ सरले पश्चिम सेतीलगायतका जलासय आयोजनाबाट छिमेकी राष्टले पाउने लाभमा पनि नेपालले न्यायपूर्ण भाग पाउनुपर्छ भन्दा खुसी लागेको छ । ढिलो भएपनि धारणा परिवर्तन गर्नुभएछ ।
रतन भण्डारी