Though ideally one would always like to be in harmony with nature, human beings have exploited natural resources to improve the quality of their lives and created great civilizations, which have classically been based in the great river valleys of the world. Prior to the industrial revolution, however, Man's capacity to disturb the natural system was limited, and he venerated Nature, elements of which had been worshipped by his forefathers. In the last three centuries, Man's capacity to `conquer' nature and harness its resources has increased enormously, and this had led him with much pride to achieve greater heights in controlling natural phenomena. Harnessing of the great rivers is one such capacity, which he has used to completely control the flows of rivers during the lean seasons. Fortunately he is still not able to deal with fury of floods, which the rivers could be said to utilise for their self-renewal. Our endeavours to challenge nature have increased in scale and cost in geometrical proportions, with proportionally less additional gain. Indeed if the other consequences of such endeavours are taken into account, we find that much of the effort has been counter-productive.

1. Schemes Contrary To Nature

With a growing population that legitimately claims to be fed and given all the befits of modern civilisation, governments have divised schemes to harness water resources that bar the natural flow of p0rimeaval waters and have diverted these for irrigation, maintaining that without such projects the needs for feeding the growing population could never have been met, and indeed the so- called `Green Revolution' could never have come about. Great dams and barrages were built to store water, and canals dug to distribute these, running often across the drainage paths of a basin. Though water is provided to command areas for irrigation (at subsidised rates], the aquifers downstream are denied this resource, and the water table falls rapidly in the lower riparian districts. Farmers in these areas using private tubewells suffers as a result and have to face increasing costs. Thus such grandiose schemes could be termed as those that 'rob Peter to pay Paul'. Furthermore the deprived streams become the drains of cities, conveying their sewage through the established aquifers to the ground water reserves, thereby also polluting them.

Major high yield government schemes for the pumping of ground water that are located on the rivers bed or its banks, have a similar effect of reducing the flow of rivers and the availability of ground water in downsteam areas.

2. Schemes In Consonance With Nature

Wells, tanks, natural lakes and streams with systems flora the extraction of water for irrigation or domestic purposes that do not reduce the resource beyond the levels essential for their maintenance, are the schemes that can be considered to in consonance with nature. Indeed if tanks and lakes are expanded, or new and larger reservoirs are built for the storage of excess rain or flood waters, these could meet the needs of a growing population without destroying the natural surface and ground water systems that have evolved through thousands of years. In India canals were constructed for conveying such excess waters to command area reservoirs since the ancient and even pre-historic periods. The storage of water in them, in fact, reinforces the ground water systems, thereby raising the water table and greatly benefiting the poor farmers who are dependent on wells.

Similarly minor irrigation schemes that store water using percolation check-dams are beneficial in providing water and do not disturb the natural water systems.