Water resources projects based on large dams have been viewed with extreme emotions from time to time. If Jawaharlal Nehru had famously called them temples of modern India, environmental activists of the 1980s and the 1990s have given the dams much less flattering names. Some have almost dubbed them agents of the World Bank/CIA, out to colonise and plunder the environment of India. But dams are here to stay, tens of thousands of them are dotting the Indian landscape. And dams are needed if we have to augment the other sources of water and energy without which India can’t achieve its deserved place among the economic superpowers of the world. If only we can develop appropriate guidelines to manage these dams in an environmentally sound manner, we can minimize their harmful impact on the environment and maximize the benefits derivable from them. The present book revolves round a 4-year study of the Sathanur Reservoir Project System (SRPS) situated in the Northeastern Tamil Nadu. The authors have used SRPS as a test case to determine exactly what goes wrong after a large dam is commissioned and how the management strategies can be altered to minimize the adverse environmental impact of the large dams while maximizing the benefits accruable from them. The book is distinguished by the clarity and lucidity which are the well-acclaimed features of the writings of Prof. Abbasi. A new feather was recently attached to the Professor’s already well-embellished cap when the National Design Award in Environmental Engineering was conferred upon him by the institution of Engineers, Kolkata. We hope that this book, which has the two authors’ combined professional experience of over 50 years behind it, would contribute to the better environmental management of our resources.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR S.A. Abbasi
Dr. S.A. Abbasi, senior Professor & Director, Centre for Pollution Control & Energy Technology has taken MS (Miami, USA), Ph. D. (IIT Bombay) and DSc Cochin University of Science & Technology) and had his post doctoral training at Japan specializing in environmental engineering and energy systems. Beginning his professional career in 1970, Prof. Abbasi has taught at IIT Bombay, BITS Pilani, and Bhopal University before joining Centre for Water Resources, kozhikode. There he headed Water Quality & Environment Division for eight years (1979-87). In 1984 he was honoured with Visiting Professorship of California State University, USA and held that position till 1987. In 1987 Prof. Abbasi moved to a professorial chair at Pondicherry (Central) University becoming Director, Centre for Pollution Control & Energy Technology, in 1991 and Director-cum-senior Professor in 1997; a position in which he continues till now. He is consultant, International Foundation for Water Science & Technology, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Environmental Works. Al-Khobar; and Member of Honorary Advisory Board, Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems, being published for UK. Prof. Abbasi has been chairman/member of numerous national and international expert committees and has been session chairman of international conferences at USA, Europe, Asia and Africa on several occasions. He is Member; Editorial Board. International Journal of Energy-Environment-Economics published from USA., Journal of Industrial Population Control (India), Pollution Research (India), Journal of Environment, Ecology& Conservation, Chemical and Environmental Research, and Journal Mendale. He is on the panel of referees of Environmental Pollution (USA/UK), Indian Journal of Chemical Technology, Current Science etc., and has been called upon to vet R&D projects by DST, MOEn, DBT, CSIR, DOE, and others. In 1995 Prof Abasi was conferred national Hydrology Award instituted by Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India. He was awarded $ 2000 IDA Prize by International Desalination Association based in USA, 1996. In 1998 Prof Abbasi was honoured with a Gold Metal at the International Energy Conference ENERGEX ’98; and was conferred S.K. Mitra Memorial Award by Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, Calcutta. Recently he has been given the Goldstar Award and has been declared as the “2000 most important people of the current millennium†by International Biographical Institute, Cambridge.
There are no reviews yet.