Water-logging in Haryana

  CANAL irrigation and excess of rainfall have become the bane instead of boon for Haryana. Besides the two reasons, over-irrigation and seepage from canal, identified by the drainage committee, blockage of excess of rainfall water in low-lying areas due to banks of canals and roads is another important reason. On top of it, uncontrolled canal water even during the heavy rainy season is allowed to flow freely in fields which do not need irrigation at that time.

Besides the preventive and curative measures suggested in the report of the committee to solve the problem of water-logging, due emphasis should be given to the harvesting of excess rainfall water and its re-cycling as a supplemental source of irrigation and fish culture. Instead of allowing the rainfall water to spread over a large cultivated area, it should be collected and confined in big deep ponds which could also be used for fish culture or as a source of supplemental irrigation.

A provision of small side and cross drains along the roads would solve simultaneously the following four problems:

(i) Usually the excess of rainfall water collects along the side of the road. Roadside drains could be connected with the nearby canals or big drains or big ponds as a supplementary source of irrigation.

(ii) The land along the road belongs to the government and, as such, the problem of acquisition of farmers’ cultivated lands would not arise.

(iii) When the land nearby the roads is not water-logged, the cost of maintenance of roads could be reduced.

(iv) If the rainfall water is not allowed to spread and stagnate for a long period, the problem of salt accumulation could be mitigated and at the same time delay in sowing of crops could be avoided.

Wherever it is not possible to drain out the excess of seepage water along the canal, it could be profitably used for permanent fish culture. Fish culture farmers could be given special incentives in the form of compensation, aid, subsidy, etc.

The costly remedial measures such as sub-surface drainage and a provision of big drain upto the Rann of Kuchh could not be undertaken with limited financial resources of the state. In view of the above facts, a less costly integrated management approach for water, soil and crops should be undertaken so as to ensure immediate and long-term beneficial effects.

D.S. MALIK
Hisar

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Poor learners of history

Mr Hari Jaisingh, in his article “Indians poor learners of history” (January 1, 1999) has raised an important issue that why Indians are poor learners of history and why they fail to draw appropriate lessons from the past.

I must say that it is quite important to link our past with the present to arrive at certain logical conclusions so that the mistakes of the past may not be repeated by the ruling elite. Except for the last 50 years ours has been a feudal society and in such a system sycophancy has reigned supreme.

Sycophants can neither be good learners of history nor do they play any role except the shoe-licking. This very trait has throughout been manifested even during the democratic process that began 50 years ago because the element of feudalism still manifests in our democracy.

Truly speaking, ours is not the right form of democracy. J.K. Galbraith has rightly described it as an advanced form of organised anarchy.

If we go by the words of certain famous historians, the other trait of the Indians has been the attitude of self-righteousness. Alberuni tells us that “the Indians believe that there is no country but theirs, no nation like theirs, no king like theirs, no religion like theirs”.

In fact, we should be grateful to the British for giving us the sense of nationhood and nationalism with the widespread of education and communication systems. British rule was a virtue in disguise in consequence of which the Indians could inherit the solidarity of a country in 1947 even though another country in the form of Pakistan had been created.

There is a recent example of how Muslims in India were punished by the history in the wake of the fall of Mughal rule. They boycotted the British and modern education. This proved to be the cause for their ruin. But for the efforts of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Indian Muslims could never have regained the benefits of modern education.

HARJINDER SINGH TANGRI
Faridkot

Demythifying history: I feel that there exists an urgent need to rewrite Indian history. Readers are baffled and confused, for in the medley of voices they fail to discern a clear note of certainty. They are bewildered by different interpretations of Indian history.

Although through patient research, a host of research scholars and historians are slowly narrowing down the gaps in our knowledge of Indian history, the task of reappraisal of historical events is very difficult for it brings in its terrain the subjective element. The historical events when viewed through the prism-mind of the historian take on different hues. After all, the historian is not a log of wood but a human being with his prejudices and impulses.

One school of thought with the laudable objective of building a golden bridge over the gulf which divides the Hindus and the Muslims vindicates the policy of secularism.

This school of historians tries to highlight those aspects of Indian history which show a composite culture to which both the Hindus and the Muslims have contributed. They glorify the liberal policy of Akbar, discuss Dara Shikoh’s scholarship of Sanskrit and extol the efforts of Sufi saints and Bhakti leaders to establish harmonious relations between the two communities.

In short, true history does not respect persons or communities. It should always strive to tell the truth, so far as it can be deduced from reliable evidence.

K.M. VASHISHT
Delhi

Drug reaction monitoring

I would like to use the columns of your esteemed newspaper to create awareness among the health professionals in particular and among the masses in general to participate in adverse drug reaction monitoring wholeheartedly.

Drugs are double-edged weapons. These are prescribed for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. These prescribed drugs can themselves be the cause of serious illnesses, or even death. In the USA, drug-related morbidity and mortality have been estimated to cost more than $ 136 billion per year. A major component of these costs is the adverse drug reaction. In addition, adverse drug events may account for upto 140,000 deaths annually in the USA as drugs are prescribed more irrationally in our country.

Data on adverse drug reaction is woefully lacking in India, but we can imagine that the cost being paid by people would be much more as compared to that in the USA.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) established a collaborating centre for international drug monitoring which received drug-related information from the participating countries, to analyse reports and then provide information for wider awareness and follow-up action. Intensive adverse drug reaction monitoring has been started at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences as per the recommendations of the WHO. The national adverse drug reaction monitoring centre is working in close collaboration with the Drugs Controller-General (India), who has been designated as Chief Coordinator for this purpose.

We need a national policy and concerted efforts by dedicated workers to identity the drugs which are safe for our population, and we all must report adverse drug reactions to the authorities concerned.

(Dr) AJAY BAGGA
Hoshiarpur