Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Value of river water

Sir, — The Prime Minister is reported to have said that smaller rivers, the waters of which drain into the sea, would be linked first. And that the bigger rivers would be taken up later. This gives the impression that the PM believes that the water going into the sea is a waste. In fact, free flow of river water into the sea is a must to maintain the ecosystem. With low quantity of river water flowing into the sea, saline water enters deep into the river. This causes losses to agriculture and fish cultivation. Recent studies in the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, have found that an imbalance between seawater and fresh water at river mouths might reduce the ability of the sea to absorb atmospheric carbon. This might aid the greenhouse effect, with a potential threat of high sea-level rise and climatic changes.

P. R. V. Raja,
Pandalam, Kerala

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