One way to handle negative situations in India, is to take comfort in the fact that corrective action begins almost at once; it may be a debate, mobilisation of support or even direct action. India is seldom still. Here is an example.

An enthusiastic young man, Subramanya Sastry [] wrote saying that activists are needed to save the Kali river that flows in Karnataka. Here is a brief introduction to the issue:

“The Kali river is one of many rivers that flows in the richly forested area of the Western Ghats.  The river is 184 kms. long and flows into the Arabian Sea.  Like many rivers in India, the Kali River is no exception—it has been abused on the path of “development’’.  There are 6 major hydroelectric dams that have submerged over 32,000 acres of the rich forests of Uttara Kannada.  A 7th dam has been proposed now—it will submerge another 210 hectares of forest area and generate just 18 MW of power.  In addition, there is the Dandeli Paper Mills that pollutes the river by releasing its untreated effluents directly into the river.  Besides damming and pollution, there is also illegal sand mining on the banks of the river which disturbs the ecology of the river.

“A number of people of Uttara Kannada want to put an end to this and want to protect the river for posterity.  As a result, the Kali Bachao Andolan (Movement to Save the Kali) has been formed by Parisara Samrakshana Kendra of Uttara Kannada along with several local community organizations and tribal villages of Uttara Kannada.  This group has been formed to highlight the threats of damming, pollution, and illegal sand mining to the Kali River and to protect it from these threats.

“On this site, we will provide information about the issue (documents, images, press clippings), and try to document the efforts of Kali Bachao Andolan to protect the Kali River.  Your support in the campaign will be invaluable.”

Learn more about the issue by clicking this link and see if you can contribute to this effort.