Expert warned AP of power crisis

As far back as 1984, we were sufficiently warned by an eminent Nuclear Engineer Mr. Myneni Hari Prasada Rao, Project Director of the Madras Atomic Power Project (MAPP), soon after Indira Gandhi inaugurated one of the two Kalpakam atomic power reactors With the Damocles' Sword of severe shortage of power in the state hanging on our heads there is urgent need for pooling all our resources in tackling this impending bleak position. It can no longer be left in the hands of those in power as they have proved themselves to be powerless in mitigating the hardships of the people who may have to pay heavily for the accumulated losses retrospectively for a long time to come. As far back as 1984, we were sufficiently warned by an eminent Nuclear Engineer Mr. Myneni Hari Prasada Rao, Project Director of the Madras Atomic Power Project (MAPP), soon after Indira Gandhi inaugurated one of the two Kalpakam atomic power reactors. He played a significant role in our Country's achievement in harnessing nuclear energy. After a brilliant academic career in India and abroad, Mr. Prasada Rao, who hails from Krishna District, joined the Department of Atomic Energy and was associated with Tarapur Atomic Power Station and later with Kalpakam project. When he came to Vijayawada to address a meeting after that he said that with the success achieved in Kalpakam project with 100 percent indigenous materials, the day is not far off in attaining self-sufficiency in atomic energy. He did not rule out the possibility of locating one of those plants in our state. According to him the site selected is based on various factors like the cooling water availability, the site accessibility, meteorology, hydrology and seismology of the area and so one should not look at them from the narrow point of view of its location inone's own state as all the power generated in them belongs to the whole Country. That was nearly three decadesago and nothing has been done in that direction. Dr. Rao, in his late eighties is happily in our midst and he was honoured last year by Sidhartha Kala Peetham in Vijayawada. I am writing this from Muscat and here is the latest news from London published in 'Times of Oman' on 20th March, "Britain gave the go ahead yesterday for the first of a planned new generation of nuclear power plants. Energy Minster Ed Davey told Parliament he was granting planning consent for French Energy giant EDF to build a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset, South West England. The proposed 2.1 billion dollar power station will be capable of producing seven percent of Britain's electricity, enough to power five million homes, EDF has said. Davey said affordable nuclear power would play a 'crucial role' in ensuring secure, diverse supplies of energy in Britain and decarbonizing the electricity sector and the economy." Imminent Water Wars On the occasion of 'World Water day' on 22nd March, in the 'Gulf News,' there appeared on March 15, a very interesting, topical and highly enlightening article on the recently published book," Water � Asia's new battle ground'" by Brahma Challaney of the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi and a leading Indian strategic thinker and analyst who has won Asia Society's 2012 Bernard Schwartz Book award. He says Water will play a very crucial role in the rapidly drying regions of Asia and create a new battle ground. Asia, which has the lowest per capita fresh water availability of all the continents, is at the centre of global water challenges. Chellany says that Asia was relatively unaffected by water shortages before the era of rapid economic growth began about three decades ago and due to that water resources have come under increasing pressure. Indian tempers recently flared at China's decision to construct dams on the Brahmaputra, the river originates from China controlled Tibet, because of the adverse effects on India's water-stressed regions, he says. Asia's population growth may have slowed but its consumption growth continues unabated due to rising prosperity. An average Asian consumes today more resources, including water, food and energy. What were earlier luxuries have become necessities today, bringing the availability of water and other natural resources under strain. Most of the important international rivers originate in territories that were forcibly absorbed by Communist China, according to Challaney. The Tibetan plateau is the World's largestfresh water repository and the source of Asia's largest rivers, including those of mainland China. Although China is now the source of cross border water flows to the large number of Countries, it rejects the very notion of Water sharing or institutionalized co-operation with downriver countries. "The Water security challenges facing China and India in particular, may have consequences not just for the two rising powers, but also for Asia as a whole," says Chellaney.