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13. River
linking projects and Kerala:
This chapter examines how Kerala’s rivers will be
affected by river inter-linking projects, especially the
Pamba-Achankovil-Vypaar link proposal. It presents an
overview of India’s river inter-linking projects, discusses
their pros and cons and addresses Kerala-specific issues,
including the health of the environment and the impact on
the lives of people from the Pamba-Achankovil link project.
The chapter concludes with the concern that the
Pamba-Achankovil-Vypaar link project will pass a death
sentence on Kerala’s rice bowl — the Kuttanad region.
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14. Breathing
life back into rivers:
The degradation of rivers does not happen out of the
blue. Misplaced development priorities, exploitative
policies and uncontrolled human greed all combine to create
the precarious situation that rivers face. No nation or
society can progress if its rivers and other water sources
are not protected. Only a development paradigm that
recognises this and sees rivers, river basins, people and
other living beings a single holistic unit can infuse life
back into our dying rivers. This chapter seeks to identify
practical solutions to protect and revive Kerala’s
life-giving rivers.
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