The University Of Massachusetts Lowell - 2068 Words

Background The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a part of the Umass System including 5 physical campuses and one online campus. Located on over 125 acres of land right along the Merrimack River and in the middle of historic Lowell, it currently hosts 17,000 students in five different colleges. The Manning School of Business, The College of Health Sciences, The Francis college of engineering, The College of Fine Arts Humanities and Health Sciences, The Kennedy College of Sciences and the Graduate School of Education. Umass Lowell is highly rated on Return on Investment especially for in-state students, and is known particularly for its engineering programs. Purpose The purpose of this research is to address the rebranding survey put out by Umass Lowell and to give concise and informed student feedback to answer the several questions they wished to address. The marketing committee at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, looks to rebrand every four years, or when deemed necessary, to keep up with the current goals and successes of the school. Scope Following along with what was asked by the marketing committee this research was done into answering the following questions. †¢ Name five qualities that, in your view, best define UMass Lowell. †¢ What does UMass do better or differently than other schools you are familiar with? †¢ In what areas can UMass Lowell make a legitimate claim to national or international prominence? †¢ What characteristics of UMass Lowell shouldShow MoreRelatedGeneral Psychology Course At The University Of Massachusetts Lowell850 Words   |  4 Pages Method Participants The study participants were enrolled in General Psychology courses at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The participants were 121 men and women (90 males, 30 females, 1 declined to answer). All students were between the ages of 18 and 25. In addition, 2.5% (n=3) participants have not served on a jury while 97.5% (n=118) have not. Study participants received one research credit for their General Psychology course. All General Psychology students are required to earn 10Read MorePosterior For Ratial Analysis820 Words   |  4 Pagessaid class of problems which will have applications in real life application in engineering and science. With the scope of interdisciplinary work the project will foster collaborative research. The high performance computing facility at University of Massachusetts Lowell will support PI’s effort and the development in this field of uncertainty quantification can pave the way of research in different engineering disciplines. 2 Student Mentoring. The project will support graduate students who can contributeRead MoreThe Fireside Poets: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Oliver Wendel Holmes1354 Words   |  6 PagesStephen Longfellow who was a politician and a lawyer. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an influential American poet, translator (He was the first American poet to translate Dante Alighieris epic poem The Divine Comedy) and a professor at the Harvard University. One of Longfellows most pretentious work is Evangeline: A tale of Acadie, an epic poem which follows the Acadian girl Evangeline and her search for her love Gabriel, a poem set during the time of the Expulsion of the Acadians (The forced removalRead MoreWhat Is Fixed And Additional Basis1025 Words   |  5 Pagessaid class of problems which will have applications in real life application in engineering and science. With the scope of interdisciplinary work the project will foster collaborative research. The high performance computing facility at University of Massachusetts Lowell will support PI’s effort and the development in this field of uncertainty quantification can pave the way of research in different engineering disciplines. 2 Student Mentoring. The project will support graduate students who can contributeRead MoreCritical Analysis Of The Mead-Freeman Debate1283 Words   |  6 Pagesthat focus on the specifics of the Samoan case, I will analyze the running debate of the nature versus nurture concept in Samoan society. Annotated Bibliography Caton Hiram 1990 The Samoa Reader: Anthropologists Take Stock. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, Inc. Caton’s work The Samoan Reader: Anthropologist Take Stock is a collection of essays that focus on the Samoa controversy. Caton gathered chief contributions, related essays, and unpublished writings that emerged after theRead MoreJames Russell Lowell2045 Words   |  9 PagesThere is Lowell, whos striving Parnassus to climb With a whole bale of isms tied together with rhyme ; He might get on alone, spite of brambles and boulders But he cant with that bundle he has on his shoulders ; Â… -Fable for Critics, Lowell James Russell Lowell was a father and a husband, but most importantly he was a man of literature. Lowells works were greatly influenced by those around him, eventsRead MoreHarvard Research Paper744 Words   |  3 Pageswill tell you that they aspire to attend a top tier university. A common name thrown around by the majority of said graduates is Harvard University, known for their unique catalogue of majors, extensive list of college club activities, and a rigorous admission process. Harvard is classified as an Ivy League school which means it is a long-established university in the US having high academic and social prestige. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts it is home to over 22,000 students. With a 6% percentRead MoreRobert Frost : The Most Beloved Poet1637 Words   |  7 PagesA.D. Robert Frost was born to the parents of William Prescott Frost Jr. and Isabelle Moodie Frost. â€Å"Her husband’s untimely death from tuberculosis in 1885 prompted Isabelle Moodie Frost t o take her two children, Robert and Jeanie, to Lawrence Massachusetts.† (Gerber 1) When growing up around the East Coast, Robert was not interested in school work or anything afflicted with school at all. His mother, Isabelle Frost, who was a school teacher, helped both Robert and Jeanie both come to a liking ofRead MoreOptional Education.In Some Schools, You Can Show Up And1211 Words   |  5 PagesBelluck,2006) The trick with incentives is how big a thing does it have to be to be meaningful to the person and also how long the delay is between doing something and getting a reward for it,† said Harry O’ Neil, a professor in psychology at the university of Southern California. The incentives were working at Chelsea High School for a period of time. In the first quarter 107 out 1500 students had perfect attendance but in the second quarter only 73 students had perfect attendance. (Pam Belluck, 2006)Read MoreWhat Is Offline And Online Scale Computation?1241 Words   |  5 Pagessaid class of problems which will have applications in real life application in engineering and science. With the scope of interdisciplinary work the project will foster collaborative research. The high performance computing facility at University of Massachusetts Lowell will support PI’s effort and the development in this field of uncertainty quantification can pave the way of research in different engineering disciplines. 2 Student Mentoring. The project will support graduate students who can contribute

Punishment and Feelings of Remorse in The Scarlet Letter...

Punishment and Feelings of Remorse in The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne paints a picture of two equally guilty sinners, Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale, and shows how both characters deal with their different forms of punishment and feelings of remorse for what they have done. Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale are both guilty of adultery, but have altered ways of performing penance for their actions. While Hester must pay for her sins under the watchful eye of the world around her, Reverend Dimmesdale must endure the heavy weight of his guilt in secret. It may seem easier for Reverend Dimmesdale to live his daily life since he is not surrounded by people who shun†¦show more content†¦At this point, it is unknown to the reader that the fellow-sufferer Reverend Dimmesdale refers to is himself. The Reverend says all this to make sure that no one realizes that he is a sinner as well. The Reverend is also sp eaking of the pain that he himself feels in his heart. As the story continues, Hester Prynne continues to be plagued by guilt and embarrassment. Every look from a fellow citizen seems to make the scarlet letter burn on her chest. Throughout all this though, Hester Prynne remains true to herself and becomes stronger because of all her trials. Reverend Dimmesdale on the other hand, becomes weaker and weaker because of the dark secret he keeps hidden in what his parishioners think to be a miraculous white soul. Day after day his thoughts are taken over by his feelings of guilt and hypocrisy. He longed to speak out, from his own pulpit, at the full height of his voice, and tell the people what he was. I, your pastor, whom you so reverence and trust, am utterly a pollution and a lie (Hawthorne 142). At this point it may seem that the Reverend might have an easier life if he, like Hester Prynne, bore a scarlet letter for all to see. Reverend Dimmesdale does in fact wear a scarlet letter on his chest, but it is hidden, just as the truth of his sin is hidden, from the eyes of the public. It seems that life may be restored to Reverend Dimmesdale one day as he speaksShow MoreRelatedEssay The Truth Behind Lies 1182 Words   |  5 Pagesmisunderstanding. The novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, emphasizes how sin and lies lead to humiliation and punishment. Hester Prynne was a y oung Puritan woman who committed adultery and was forced to wear a scarlet letter â€Å"A† next to her bosom. In spite of her sin Hester was blessed with a beautiful baby girl named Pearl. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale punished Hester for her error even though he too committed the same crime. Through the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne portrays hypocrisy asRead MoreThe Worst Sinner in the Scarlet Letter1444 Words   |  6 PagesThe Worst Sinner in The Scarlet Letter In The Scarlet Letter there are three main sinners presented to the reader. Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth are all written with their own forms of sin, and each has a unique coping mechanism for their sins and guilt. Sin, at this time, was a hugely important part of daily life, and punishment for one’s sins was universally seen as not only a positive thing, but a necessary action to keep the people of the colony pure. Both HesterRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne973 Words   |  4 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, takes place in June of 1642 of the Puritan town of Boston, Massachusetts. Hester Prynne, the protagonist, is married to Roger Chillingworth. They decided to leave Europe to have a new life in Boston; unexpectedly her husband failed to join her. After two years waiting for her husband’s return, she engages a personal relationship with Arthur Dimmesdale which causes an improper affair, and sh e gives birth to a baby girl named Pearl. When living in a PuritanRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne827 Words   |  4 PagesWhy are human beings tempted to conceal their transgressions? Is it for the fear of punishment or the loss of one’s standing with the public? In the insightful novel The Scarlet Letter, a seventeenth-century Boston minister named Arthur Dimmesdale committed, in the eyes of the townsfolk, the most evil of sins: adultery. Unlike his partner in this offense, Hester Prynne, he did not accept responsibility for his crime; instead he veiled his infraction of the Puritan law from the populace of BostonRead MoreMr. Dimmesdales Feelings of Guilt and Shame in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter897 Words   |  4 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Mr. Dimmesdale’s ever present guilt and boundless penance cause him an ongoing mental struggle of remorse and his conscience as well as deep physical pain from d eprivation and self inflicted wounds. The external influence of the members of his society In choosing to contain his deep sin as a secret, Mr. Dimmesdale suffered from a festering guilt that plagued him until his death. After Hester was sentenced with the punishment for her act of adultery, MrRead MoreConfession And Acceptance Of The Crucible By Nathaniel Hawthorne1969 Words   |  8 Pagesthat is guilt. People think that if they simply turn their back on what they have done and to the feelings of remorse over the wrongdoing, these feelings will eventually subside. However, this is not the case, as the moment one turns his or her back on feelings of guilt is the exact moment it sneaks up behind that person and eats him or her alive. In 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne published The Scarlet Letter, which tells the story of two people who commit adultery and the aftermath of their crime. AlmostRead MoreStereotypical Fairytale And Relative Peace1583 Words   |  7 Pages When a child does something wrong, a wise adult is always there to reprimand them for the wrongdoing. Inevita bly, the child is then forced to accept the punishment and guilt that it bears. However, once they become an adult, they are the older, wiser person, and no one is there to scold them. It must be found within themselves to recognize the sin committed, hold the guilt within their own hearts, and then also forgive themselves for it. This is much more difficult to do as an adult. If unforgivenRead MoreStereotypical Fairytale And Relative Peace1563 Words   |  7 Pages When a child does something wrong, an older, wiser adult is always there to scold them for the wrongdoing. Inevitably, they are then forced to accept the punishment and guilt that it bears. However, when they transform into an adult, they are the old, wise adult, and no one is there to scold them. It must be found within themselves to discern the sin committed and hold the guilt within their own hearts, but then also forgive themselves for it, of which it is much easier to do as a child. If unforgivenRead MoreThe Scarle t Letter And Modern Relevance2079 Words   |  9 PagesThe Scarlet Letter and Modern Relevance Society has unintentionally been guided by the same themes since the beginning of time. The recurring themes that are present in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic The Scarlet Letter are still relevant in today’s society. When high school students and teachers claim that Hawthorne’s novel is archaic and should be removed from the curriculum, they are absolutely wrong. Hester Prynne, the main character of the novel, commits adultery and as punishment, has to wearRead More Essay on The Greater Sin in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter802 Words   |  4 PagesThe Greater Sin in The Scarlet Letter    In essence, there were three main sins committed in The Scarlet Letter, the sins of Hester, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth. Roger Chillingworth committed the greatest sin because he let himself be ruled by hatred and the consuming desire for vengeance.   The overpowering vengeance and hatred felt by Chillingworth caused his life to be centered on demeaning Dimmesdale and tormenting him until the end of time.   Both Hester Prynne

Understanding Language and Human Literacy

Question: Discuss about the Understanding Language and Human Literacy. Answer: Introduction: How human beings acquire and develop language is marked by a long controversy in the linguistic studies. Some linguists are convinced that capability of language is a consequence of inborn/natural knowledge. That is, different from other species human beings are endowed with a natural capability which is genetically inscribed. According to this school of thought, language is a result of nature, that is, genes. On the contrary, other linguists believe that the capability to learn a language is acquired through experience. That is, linguistic information is gathered from the externals such as the environment. Hence, language is a consequence of environmental influences or nurture[1]. At this point in history, there is no consensus to this debate. Therefore, the objective of this essay is to discuss the roles played by nature and nurture in children's language development. Phonological acquisition starts at birth and develops up to the age of 6 years. Its first stages, that is, at birth is characterized by bubbling up to the age of 1 year. At the age of slightly over a year, the first word is uttered. Consequently, a child will gradually acquire more than 50 words. During this age two critical things happen, a child learns to articulate, vowels, syllables, consonants, and words.[2] Simultaneously, a child learns to represent words, such that at the age of 6 years a child can easily combine words to communicate effectively. The phonological acquisition is thus, featured by the children's effort to simplify words till he/she learn them correctly. It is thus correct to say that language phonology is acquired over a number of years. In that, the first year is marked by babbling while the first words feature the second year. Subsequent years are marked by learning to pronounce numerous vocabularies, as syllables and sounds increase in complexity and in numb ers. Syntax acquisition refers to the ability to organize and structure the sentence components. A child acquires this ability at the age of 18 months. At this age, a child has the capacity to put single words together to form a two-word sentence[3]. This ability is enhanced by how much its primary caregivers socialize a child. Moreover, semantic is concerned with the use of right words within the right context so that the expression can make sense. During the phonological stage, children tend to overuse few vocabularies they possess to refer to numerous objects than it is reasonable. Some linguists hold that children utilize these words judging from similarities of sound, shape, and size. However, as a child interacts more with the language, he/she learns each object by its proper name. It is thus correct to postulate that development of semantic is from overextension usage of words and then narrowing down. Numerous theories have been developed to support the development of each component of the language like phonology, semantics, and syntax. However, the majority of these theories are founded upon nature versus nurture arguments, that is, nativist versus learning-theory approach. Noam Chomsky is the protagonist in the nativist approach theory. He believes that human being is born with language acquisition device. This device is innate, and its function is to construct "a theory of language of which the primary linguistic data are sampled."[4] As a consequence, this inborn language acquisition device permits children to be acquainted with the universal rules of grammar that create human language. Conversely, Lev Vygotsky believes that children who are exposed to diverse interactions possess enhanced language skills.[5] He is the protagonist of the socio-cultural theory which holds that social interactions, collaboration, and experience shared with others mold our learning. Hence, learni ng a language and learning to understand the fundamental concepts a language is based on the interactions or experiences one is exposed to. Even though the language is improved through interactions, it is achieved through a systematic process, which is categorized into given stages and each child achieve this stages differently. The process entails stages like Phonology stage, Syntax stage, Semantic stage, and Pragmatic stage. The four stages are critical to a child especially in understanding the concepts of a language or in achieving the skills necessary in mastering a language. The phonology stage starts at birth and involves the use of sounds in a language. Further, this stage entails gradual attainment of the capability to articulate structures and the sounds of speech. At its initials stages, this stage is marked by crying, laughing, cooing, and babbling. Children persist in using these sounds as they interact with the primary caregivers till they possess the ability to formulate words and sentences.[6] This ability to form word and sentences pave a way to the syntax stage. At this stage, a child learns rules of how to combine morphemes to form a sentence. As the child interacts more, he/she learns the complex syntactic rules. Eventually, the child can formulate statements, ask questions, and give out commands. Later, after much social interactions, a child learns the use of semantic components.[7] A fter semantic stage, a child has the ability to apply the pragmatic components. This includes achieving communication competence and the ability to speak clearly, distinctly and appropriately in diverse social situations. Interestingly, a child develops phonological, syntax, semantics, and pragmatic components simultaneously within a social context as opposed to nativist approach. In conclusion, it is clear from the discussion that as a child grows and develops; the language ability improves to the point that a child can connect the right words, within the right context to communicate properly and effectively by producing the intended expression. The aim of the objective of the essay has been to discuss the roles played by nature and nurture in children's language development. One can thus appreciate that though both nature and nurture have a role to play in language acquisition, nurture contribution is much significant. It is explicit from the discussion that, nurture enhances language acquisition. However, the essay offers deep insights on the role of both nature and nurture in language development. Bibliography Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman, and Nina Hyams. An introduction to language. Cengage Learning, 2010. Hoff, Erika. Language development. Cengage Learning, 2013. Keating, Daniel P., ed. Nature and nurture in early child development. Cambridge University Press, 2010. Keenan, Thomas, Subhadra Evans, and Kevin Crowley. An introduction to child development. Sage, 2016. Leech, Geoffrey N. Principles of pragmatics. Routledge, 2016. Ochs, Elinor, and Bambi B. Schieffelin. "The theory of language socialization." The handbook of language socialization (2012): 1-21. Turnbull, Khara L. Pence, and Laura M. Justice. Language development from theory to practice. Pearson, 2016.

Water Resource Should Be Nationalized free essay sample

Water resources are sources of water that are useful. The world is fast running out of usable water. Anthropogenic activities are depleting and polluting this finite well spring of life at a startling rate. The present ineffective management of water ignores the potential of conservation and embraces the chimeric alternative of increasing supply. Degraded watersheds, drying local pond systems, shrinking canal networks, and wetland degradation as a result of anthropogenic activity and climate change relegate water to the status of â€Å"scarce commodity. The ever-increasing stress caused by population growth and concomitant increased agriculture and industrial demands for water has created an apparent scenario of water shortage that requires augmentation. The assessed needs could be met with more efficient utilization of intra-basin resources, except in case of Cauvery and Vaigai basins where limited water transfers could take place by transferring water from Godavari River. Despite this report, plans were floated to combat water deficits by conveying surpluses to water deficient locations. We will write a custom essay sample on Water Resource Should Be Nationalized or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Various political parties and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members in Tamil Nadu felt that linking river water resources could enhance the realization of water needs. These political pressures pushed the proposal forward, leading to Supreme Court direction to the government of India demanding that the government take steps to interlink certain major rivers of the country by the year 2012, spelling the beginning of the â€Å"Interlinking of Rivers Project†. WHAT IS NATIONALIZATION OF WATER RESOURCES? The rivers flowing from the north to south are not hundred per cent utilised by the individual states efficiently. Because some state may need water and some may not need depending upon the geographical location, requirement, agriculture etc. So the unused water from these rivers are directed to the sea. So what the government has planned is to nationalize the rivers by constructing a water channel from north to south , like how the national highways are there in our country , we will have the water highway routes in the form of the channels. INTERLINKING OF RIVERS: All ancient civilizations over world were born, bred, flourished and advanced by the river banks. Rivers are, therefore, an integral part not only of human existence but the very existence of life on our planet The Earth. Indian culture owes its supremacy to the rivers which are the life and blood of the nation. That is why they are worshiped as goddesses all over the country. Role of rivers in human life and now in national development, progress and prosperity, development of agriculture, science, technology or industry is beyond description. In olden days when there was no problem of overpopulation water resources provided by these rivers were sufficient for the population living by the banks. But with the ever increasing burden of population and multiplicity of demand for water for various purposes ranging from agricultural needs to industrial needs and for generation of power judicious utilization of this natural resource has become an absolute necessity. India is a country with vast population with extremes of climate, different topography, varied types of soils, annual rainfall ranging from 5 cm to more than 1000 cm. ome parts facing the havoc of floods and other parts thirsty for rain drops. Hence a scheme for effective and efficient management of water resources was prepared which envisages interlinking of 37 national rivers through 30 links across 9600 km with 32 connecting dams. The apex court of India has issued a directive to the government of India to interlink these rivers within a period of 10 years. The gov ernment on its part has set up a task force under former power minister, Suresh Prabhu to build national consensus, work out detailed plans and to see that the entire work is completed by the year 2016. In view of the director general of National Water Development Agency (NWDA) the interlinking of rivers should be based upon- INTER-BASIN TRANSFER: Inter-basin transfer is an outstanding example of effective and efficient management of water resources on the basis of need of the people; Interbasin transfer or transbasin diversion are (often hyphenated) terms used to describe man-made conveyance schemes which move water from one river basin where it is available, to another basin where water is less available or could be utilized better for human development. The purpose of such designed schemes can be to alleviate water shortages in the receiving basin, to generate electricity, or both. The national water development agency (NWDA) has estimated that the project would cost Rs. 5, 60,000 cores at 2002 prices. The project Inter basin transfer aims to deliver 173 billion cubic meter of water through a 12,500 km maze of canals which would irrigate 34 million hectares of land and would supply drinking water to 101 districts and five metro cities. THE NWDA HAS DIVIDED THE INTERLINKING OF RIVER PROJECT INTO TWO PRIMARY COMPONENTS: 1. THE HIMALAYAN COMPONENT PROPOSING A CONSTRUCTION OF 14 CANALS: The project intends to link the bramaputra and its tributaries with the ganga and the ganga with the Mahanadi river to transfer surplus water from east to west. The scheme envisages flood control in the ganga and brahmaputra basins and a reduction in water deficits for many states which is estimated to cost Rs. 3, 75, 000 core. 2. THE PENINSULAR COMPONENT WITH A PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION OF16 CANALS. River interlinks are envisaged to benefit the states of Orissa, Karnataka,Tamil nadu,Gujarat,Pondicherry,and maharastra. he linkage of the Mahanadi and Godavari rivers is proposed to feed the Krishna,pennar,cauvery,and vaigai rivers. Transfer of water from Godavari and Krishna entails pumping 1200 cusecs of water over a crest of about 116 meters. Interlinking the ken with the Betwa, Parbati, Kalisindh, and Chambal rivers is proposed to benefit Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The river links to cost Rs. 1, 85, 000 cores. It is plann ed to transfer 141 km3/yr through peninsular India and 33 km3/yr Himalayan links essentially for redistribution in the Ganga basin and to Western India. Only small volume of water can be transferred from the Brahmaputra basin. Thus in totality 1660 km3/yr of development water resource can be created which can take care of any exigencies. THE BENEFICIARIES OF RIVER LINKING: The politically important consideration for drawing up the river linking plan was the emergence of major national and transnational industries and rapid urbanization in many of the ‘low water availability’ natural regions of the west and south. It was purported also to help the commercial farming lobby for sugarcane. A case of ‘mortgaging the nation’s future for a miniscule affluent population. The plan is aimed at ending the flood problems of the Gangs and Brahmaputra and at the same time solving the drought problem in southern India by diverting surplus water of the snow-fed rivers to the rain fed Peninsular river. Help prevent floods in north and east, drought in south and west of the country. India depends heavily on monsoon. Interlinking will help irrigation, which in turn will help increase the crop yields by making farmers less dependent on monsoon and ensuring a year long water supply. These worlds bring an extra 35 million hectares under irrigation whereby per capita food grain consumption would be doubled in spite of the increase in population. This interlinking of rivers will provide food security to the country. Additional 34,000 k. w. electricity will be generated against the present 24,000 k. w. I. e. it will be more than doubled. This would give an impetus to the industrial sector as well. It will not just be a linking of rivers but a linking of lives. It will promote national integration. River transports is not only cheaper but also a non-polluting transport alternative. This has been a success in Europe. Experts suggest that even canals can be used for moving cargo between the states. Interlinking of rivers will generate employment opportunities all over the country especially in agriculture sector, power, transport and construction works. This project alone can enhance the GPD by 4%. Above all migration from rural areas will reduce which would reduce congestion in urban areas. Decentralization of industries would be a natural phenomenon with the availability of water and power. HURDLES IN INTERLINKING OF RIVERS: Undoubtedly, interlinking of rivers would provide innumerable facilities and comforts but certain hurdles are bound to arise in the implementation of the project. In the first instance many canals will pass through national parks and sanctuaries and many people may be displaced by the building of dams and canals. The construction of reservoirs and dams may swallow up the natural habitats of wild life and the ecology of the country may be subjected to unknown consequences. Large areas under forests may be submerged under water. According to some scientist’s monsoon rains come all over the country at one and the same time, hence interlinking rivers may cause floods. Then rivers like Ganga and Brahmaputra are international rivers, hence consent of adjacent countries like Nepal and Bangladesh would be a necessity for the completion of the project. Country is already facing a dispute over sharing of Kaveri river water. Further conflicts may arise between the states on the issue of sharing of water between them. Dams tend to sometimes aggravate he condition of floods They cause water logging and soils become saline and unsuitable for crops if floodwater from the east is transferred to other areas the biodiversity of these regions will be affected; the plants growing in these regions will die, many animal and bird species that live there will become extinct. the severe drought during summer in many parts of the country is due to mismanagement of water and not because a lack of it. Steps should be taken to conserve water at the local level instead. Finally financing of the project will not be so easy. FUDAMENTAL OBJECTIONS TO RIVER LINKING: 1. Linking of rivers violates the natural laws governing the life support system, and natural dynamics; and discounts the bounties provided by river systems. 2. The loss of flood plains and spill basins by human interference has caused devastating floods. River linking shall enhance this situation. 3. Man-made dams, reservoirs, and artificial lakes that are to be project ingredients would rob the rivers of their energy potential. 4. In fact, stupendous energy would be needed for the rivers to jump over the natural water divides and topo-barriers. . Rainfall and water availability is regulated by the monsoons, resulting in a highly bimodal annual river flow and moisture regime with consequential seasonal lows (droughts) and highs (floods). River linking shall certainly aggravate both droughts and floods by superimposition of the situation in each of the linked rivers. 6. Such linkages could possibly be thought of in more temperate latitudes with a more homogeneous annual moisture/flow regime. However, the Soviet experience of river diversion has even then been catastrophic, resulting on the devastation of the Aral Sea. . A river is not a mere flow channel, but a holistic system encompassing the whole basin — water divide, catchment, valley and outflow point. Any alteration shall affect the whole system and even induce microclimatic changes. 8. Inestimable loss of natural biodiversity, wild cultivars and plant gene banks shall inevitably follow river linking to disrupting the regional food chain operation. 9. Monsoonal rainfall on the degraded catchments shall cause excessive siltation-related problems in the linking systems. 10. Careful scrutiny of the state of environmental health of various rivers should have been first made before clean rivers are linked very filthy rivers. 11. River linking shall inevitably lead to an alteration of the seasonal water availability pattern; and the possibility of upsetting the evapo-transpiration balance. 12. An inevitable change in the cropping pattern from excessively irrigated lands after river-linking shall cause a major increase in methane and other gases that contribute to global warming. 13. Land degradation shall also be inescapably aggravated. 4. The colossal estimated cost will surely jeopardise the national economy for decades and force diversion of funds from the more essential needs of the vast majority of rural poor. 15. The inter-state and international ramifications of shared riparian systems would certainly open the floodgates for a civil war situation and serious discord with India’s neighbours. Not only is any such proposal for inter-basin transfe rs totally repugnant to all natural and economic logic, but shall alter the subcontinent’s geographical configuration. In the ultimate analysis, the proposal shall signal the death knell of our river systems that provide the principal source of sustenance; and encompass social, cultural and religious traditions. INTERLINKING MAJOR RIVERS WILL REDUCE FARMER SUCIDES: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) hasdrawn out a blue print for implementing the project with the help of images collected from the Remote Sensing and Cartosat satellites launched by it in 2007 and 2008. Though the UPA government which came to power in 2004 had included the inter linking of peninsular Indian rivers as one of the top priorities in its Common Minimum Programme nothing was heard about it afterwards. India and Pakistan are locked in water war over the construction of power projects on Jhelum on their respective territories. Snow-fed rivers like Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra, which originate in the Himalayas, and their tributaries are perennial. They continue to flow throughout the year. During monsoons, they tend to overflow and inundate large flood prone areas and cause loss of ife, livestock, crops and property. Rain-fed rivers like Luni in Rajasthan remain dry for most part of the year because the rainfall is scanty in that area resulting in drought like conditions. The volume of water in the west flowing rivers of Central Highlands, Narmada and Tapti is directly proportional to the amount of rainfall received during the monsoon season. Hence, there is a always an elem ent of uncertainty in availability of water. To the North of the Vindhyas, the Malwa Plateau and the Chhotanagpur Plateau of Jharkhand are comparatively better placed as they are drained by steady Ganga and Yamuna. But due to the absence of adequate river valley projects a large quantity of water wastefully flows into the Bay of Bengal through Ganga-Brahmaputra delta. In the peninsular region too, the rainfall is uneven, While the Western Ghats receive high rainfall, the Eastern’ Ghats receive very less. States like Tamil Nadu lie in the r tin shadow area and get little rainfall from advancing South West monsoons. The East flowing rivers of the Deccan Plateau-Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery drain this area. SEASONAL RIVERS OF THE SOUTH: To overcome the problems of flood and drought a whopping Rs. 5,60,000 crore river linkage project has been envisaged. The perennial and often inundating rivers of the north will be connected with the dwindling: and rather seasonal rivers of -the south through a network of canals so that the former are stopped from overflowing and the latter are regularly replenished, curbing floods and famines at the same time. The project will also ensure regular, adequate and timely supply of water to all parts of the country for agriculture, industry and consumption. Of the three big Himalayan rivers, Indus has been left out because there is a natural connectivity in the shape of its tributaries like Sutlej, Beas and Jhelum which drain and well cater to the needs of the Indian part of the Indus basin. Water from Brahmaputra shall flow into Ganga. Two main headwaters in the ,Himalayas the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda join at Devprayag and flow as Ganga thereafter. It enters Northern plain at Haridw ar. â€Å"Yamuna joins it at Allahabad. Yamuna, in turn, is joined by its tributaries like Chambal, Sind, Betwa and Ken. Sone joins Ganga directly and Damodar joins its distributor Hooghli. As the Ganga river system drains the States of Haryana, Southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand’ and major parts of West Bengal many times its water falls short of the required quantity. Linking Ganga with Brahmaputra shall solve this problem. Brahma- putra carries ‘a tremendous volume of water. When it enters India at Namcha Barwa the undercutting done by this powerful river is of the order of 5;500 meters. With the eastern States receiving heavy rainfall during monsoon, season the danger’ of floods looms large in many areas of Assam and Bihar almost every year. The linkage will mean diversion of . excess water from Brahmaputra into Ganges ,and this problem of floods shall be taken care of automatically. Ganga will be connected to Mahanadi and Godavari. This, will boost agriculture in the States of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Godavari will be further linked to Krishna, Pennar and Cauvery replenishing their depleting, waters. It will help Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and many parts of the Eastern ghats and the rain shadow areas of the South which get little rainfall from the advancing monsoons. This will bring smile on the faces of the farmers of the’ South many of which committed or contemplated suicide due to crop failures. This may also solve the dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over sharing of Cauvery waters. Narmada will flow into Tapi helping mainly the farmers around Satpura range. Yamuna will flow into Sabarmati which, in turn, will be linked to Luni. It will benefit many areas of Gujarat and the desert state of Rajasthan. Thar desert of today may become the prosperous Sahara in future, who knows?