Save Mahadayi Movement members decide to create awareness on dangers of projects
Members of the Save Mahadayi Movement have decided to create awareness among the public about the dangers posed by the various Mayadayi basin projects to the Western Ghats.
At a public meeting in Belagavi on Saturday, leaders of various organisations vowed to strive unitedly under the umbrella of Save Mahadayi Movement.
Activists agreed to work together in creating awareness among stakeholders, urban dwellers and among young men and women.
During the meeting, environmentalists of the district vowed to preserve the Western Ghats which have one of the greatest plant diversity in the world.
They decided to create public awareness and create a public movement in the coming days.
Veteran activist Dilip Kamath said that the Western Ghats, which spread from Gujarat to Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, are one of the most eco-sensitive forests in the world and protecting and preserving them is necessary.
'I have been actively participating in the struggle to save the Western Ghats for the last 30 years. From time to time, people have been organized in the foothills of the Western Ghats to create awareness and create public movements to save the Sahyadri Hills,' he said.
'Some leaders in government are misleading the people by giving them false information in the name of development,' Mr. Kamat said.
'Efforts are being made to divert the Mahadayi river to the Malaprabha which is unscientific. This project is being deliberately and wrongly named a drinking water project for the cities of Hubballi and Dharwad and villages en route. Over three decades ago, we opposed the Mahadayi basin projects. Now, the same projects are being rebranded as Kalasa-Banduri Nala Projects. But these will destroy the Western Ghats that have immense biodiversity and diverse forests. We all need to join hands with the people and protect this rare plant wealth for the next generation,' he said.
He said that the difference between the present agitation and the older ones is that farmers are actively engaged in today's protests. They are the real stakeholders in these projects. Attempts to take over farmland for the Banduri Nala project and the diversion of water from Hidkal to Dharwad industrial area are being opposed by local farmers. This is an encouraging development, Mr. Kamat said.
'The Naviluthirtha Reservoir that impounds Malaprabha river waters was built 35 years ago. It was aimed at providing drinking water to the people. But now it has become a major irrigation project to supply water to sugarcane crops in North Karnataka. But since the reservoir was built, it has been filled only four times. I have no doubt that water diverted from the Mahadayi will also be used for irrigation,' Mr. Kamat said.
He said that the various river-linking projects being promoted by some leaders are unscientific and against the rules of nature.
Environmentalist Nitin Dhond said that there is an immediate need to create awareness among the general public about the potential dangers posed by the Mahadayi basin projects to the Western Ghats.
'City dwellers like us tend to think that the Mahadayi basin projects are issues faced by rural farmers and not us. But we should all realise that they will affect all of us. We should study the projects and listen to the various scholars who studied these projects to realise the complete implications of those projects,' he said.
Captain Dhond cited from various studies, including The Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and IIT Mumbai.
He said that various such studies have listed various dangers to the Western Ghats. All these reports are available in the public domain. 'We should study them and create awareness among the general public, especially young men and women,' he said.
He said that the government is planning to build barrages without gates to stop water from the Kalasa, Banduri and Haltara streams from entering the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary.
'This will not only lead to deforestation of the Khanapur region but also lead to desertification of North Karnataka,' he said.
Activists Nyla Coelho, Amrut Charantimath, Lingaraj Jagajampi and others spoke.
Some young people raised questions about the projects and offered to serve as volunteers.
Environmentalists Sameer Majli, Nirmal Kulkarni, Sudesh Hudali, Sangeetha Patil, Nita Potdar and others were present.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Time of India
Hypersonic missiles, next-gen BrahMos, new air defence: DRDO chief reveals long list of India's future-ready weapons
India is advancing a wide range of indigenous defence technologies including hypersonic missiles , long-range air defence systems, and next-generation fighter aircraft, according to Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chairman Dr. Samir V. Kamat. In an interview to NDTV, Dr. Kamat outlined DRDO 's current and future projects that aim to enhance India's strategic deterrence and battlefield capabilities across air, land, and sea. BrahMos and its smaller successor A key focus area is the BrahMos missile , co-developed with Russia and currently launched from Su-30MKI fighter jets. To increase deployment flexibility, DRDO is working on BrahMos-NG, a next-generation variant designed to fit into more fighter platforms. BrahMos-NG is lighter and smaller, allowing wider deployment across India's air fleet. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Air conditioners without external unit. (click to see prices) Air Condition | Search Ads Search Now Undo India's hypersonic weapons programme India is also developing two types of hypersonic weapons — a cruise missile and a glide vehicle. The glide vehicle project is at a more advanced stage. Dr. Kamat said, 'We should be able to complete developmental trials in two to three years and then we can go for induction.' For the hypersonic cruise missile, scramjet propulsion has already been successfully tested for 1,000 seconds. Full-scale development awaits government approval. Once cleared, it may take five to seven years to reach operational status. Live Events Air-to-air and air-to-ground missile upgrades DRDO is extending its missile capabilities with new variants of the Astra air-to-air missile. The existing Mk-1 is in service, while Mk-2 and Mk-3 with longer range are under development. Meanwhile, the Rudram series of air-to-ground missiles is being upgraded. Rudram-2, Rudram-3, and Rudram-4 are in different stages of development. Surface-to-air defence and anti-drone technologies Under the Kusha programme, India is developing long-range surface-to-air missiles to match capabilities like the Russian S-400. The system is internally known as 'Sudarshan Chakra'. In parallel, DRDO is also developing directed energy weapons including high-powered lasers and microwave systems to neutralise drones and other aerial threats. Mobile artillery and light tanks India's indigenously developed Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) is being adapted into a mobile version. Last year, the government approved a proposal for 814 truck-mounted, self-propelled 155mm gun systems costing around ₹15,000 crore. Apart from defence PSUs, private firms like Tata, L&T, Bharat Forge , and Mahindra Defence have been approached for participation. Dr. Kamat also shared details about the light tank project named Zorawar. Built with L&T for high-altitude deployment along the border with China, the 25-tonne tank is expected to see 354 units inducted by the Indian Army. Naval weapons nearing induction For the Indian Navy, DRDO is developing torpedoes, naval mines, and other undersea warfare technologies. Dr. Kamat said many of these systems are 'close to induction,' signalling near-term deployment of several indigenous maritime platforms. Fifth-generation fighter response to China-Pakistan axis Dr. Kamat commented on reports that Pakistan may receive 40 J-35 stealth aircraft from China by next year. India's response is the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft ( AMCA ), which received formal sanction in 2024. In a previous interview, Dr. Kamat said, 'The AMCA will take 10 years to complete and would be ready by 2035.' According to an Economic Times report, the Indian Air Force is expected to procure six squadrons — around 120 aircraft. Unlike the Tejas programme where HAL led manufacturing, AMCA will follow a new production model. The government has issued an expression of interest to bring in either HAL, a private firm, or a public-private joint venture as the lead production partner. Lessons from recent operations Dr. Kamat stressed the need for future weapons to operate without external support. Citing lessons from Operation Sindoor, he said, 'All weapons must function without GPS or communication,' highlighting DRDO's focus on autonomous systems that can work in electronically denied environments. India's defence strategy is moving towards greater self-reliance and operational flexibility through indigenous technologies. The DRDO's ongoing work across multiple platforms reflects a long-term commitment to building modern, multi-domain defence capabilities.
NDTV
a day ago
- NDTV
'India's Hypersonic Glide Missile Is In Advanced Stage': DRDO Chief To NDTV
New Delhi: Indian weapons systems were a success during Operation Sindoor when India struck Pakistan during its 100-hour aerial battle, damaging enemy airfields, drones, and air defence systems. BrahMos, Akash surface-to-air missile, the D4 anti-drone system, and other systems designed and developed by the country's premier defence research and development body, DRDO, performed exceptionally well. The chief of DRDO, Dr Samir V Kamat, spoke to NDTV about the future of BrahMos, India's quest to develop a hypersonic missile and the lessons learnt during Operation Sindoor. The Future of BrahMos The world's fastest supersonic cruise missile, BrahMos, was developed in partnership with Russia and struck Pakistani airfields during the conflict. BrahMos is universal - It can be launched from land, sea and air platforms. Dr Kamat shared an update on the developments in the BrahMos programme and said the scientists are looking at extending its range and having a smaller version capable of attaching to other fighter jets apart from the Su-30MKI. "We are increasing the range of the BrahMos missile. We are also looking at making it smaller so it can be mounted on all our air platforms. Today's BrahMos can be mounted only on the Sukhoi 30. But we are working on making a smaller version of BrahMos, which we are calling BrahMos-NG, and then it can be mounted on any of our platforms," Dr Kamat said. India's Hypersonic Missiles The ongoing Iran-Israel aerial battle started with drones, long-range ballistic missiles, followed by Tehran using hypersonic missiles (capable of flying at speeds five times more than the speed of sound) that are manoeuvrable and evade enemy air defences. India is not behind in its development of hypersonic. Last year, the DRDO test-fired a long-range hypersonic missile from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. The @DRDO_India has successfully conducted a flight trial of its long range hypersonic missile on 16th Nov 2024 from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off-the-coast of Odisha. Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh has congratulated DRDO, Armed Forces and the Industry for successful flight… — रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) November 17, 2024 Dr Kamat spoke about the hypersonic missile system and said the agency is developing Hypersonic Cruise Missiles, meaning missiles that can travel consistently at hypersonic speeds and Hypersonic Glide Missiles or Vehicles (HGVs). "The hypersonic glide missile is in a much more advanced state. We have done one development trial, and we expect that in the next two to three years, we will complete all the development trials, and then it will be inducted," the DRDO chief said. "In hypersonic cruise missiles, we have recently proven scramjet propulsion for more than 1000 seconds, which is a major breakthrough. We hope the government will sanction a program to convert this scramjet propulsion into a hypersonic cruise missile weapon system. I estimate that it will take about five to seven years before it can be inducted," he added. Iran recently used the Fattah-1 hypersonic missile against Israel in the ongoing conflict. These warheads can glide, with a booster, at hypersonic speeds at low altitude toward the target, making it difficult for air defences to neutralise them because of their manoeuvrability. The DRDO chief further spoke about India's other weapon systems that are in development. "We are working on a variety of air-to-air missiles. We are going for higher ranges than our present Astra, which we now call Astra Mark 2 and Astra Mark 3. We are looking at air-to-ground missiles, which are known as Rudram 2, Rudram 3 and Rudram 4, which will have increasing ranges. These are air-to-ground missiles. Then we are looking at a variety of surface-to-air missiles for air defence applications. You are aware of our program KUSHA. We are also working on a directed energy weapon for anti-drones. So, this will be based on both lasers and high-power microwaves," he said. Dr Kamat shared an update on the Zorawar light tank, which was developed in record time by the DRDO. These tanks, intended for deployment in the rugged terrain of Ladakh, Sikkim and other high-altitude areas, completed their development trials, and user trials will start soon. The need for light tanks arose when India was engaged in a direct military engagement with the Chinese PLA in Ladakh in 2020, and the latter deployed its ZQ-15 Light Tanks to counter India's T-72 Ajeya and T-90 Bhishma tanks. "Our pipeline is quite strong and in the next two to three years, several of our weapon systems and sensors will get inducted into our services," Dr Kamat said. Stealth Fighter Programme And Lessons Learnt During Op Sindoor India recently took a step forward in the direction of building an indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter jet. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the "execution model" for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) that will be developed by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in cooperation with industry partners. "We have started work on all our platforms, such as LCA Tejas Mark 1, LCA Mark 1A and LCA Mark 2, were done together, partnering with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) as our production partner. But in the AMCA's case, we are looking at an expression of interest to identify a partner. This partner can be HAL, can be a private sector, or it could be a joint venture between HAL and a private sector or between two private sector companies," he said. To a question about what lessons DRDO learnt from Operation Sindoor, the agency's chief said, "It is very clear to us now that all our weapon systems have to work in an electronically denied environment. The systems will be denied GPS and will be denied their communication. We have to develop fully autonomous weapon systems, which can work in any electronically denied environment."
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Time of India
Farmers rally for Kalasa Banduri Nala project
Dharwad: The Kalasa-Banduri Nala project aims at diverting Mahadayi water to Malaprabha River through Kalasa and Banduri Nala, to cater to the drinking water needs of Hubballi-Dharwad and other places in Malaprabha Command Area. Karnataka and Goa have been at loggerheads and stuck in legal entanglement regarding the project. Farmers in the region have been agitating for the speedy implementation of the project, for the last two decades but the states and the Centre have failed to take the issue to a logical end. In a recent development environmentalists from Goa and Karnataka jointly opposed the project and took out a rally at Belagavi, which has angered the farmers. Hundreds of farmers affiliated to various organisations, on Tuesday, took out a rally to protest the delay in implementing the project. They came in a procession from Kadapa Maidan protested in front of the DC's office. In a memorandum addressed to chief minister Siddaramaiah, the farmers urged him to expedite the project and work seriously towards getting rid of legal hurdles. They have threatened to intensify the agitation if the govt fails to take the issue to a logical end.
