261-Interlinking Rivers of South Asia for Improving the Quality of Life.

Abstract

South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal) is home to nearly one-fifth of the world's population residing on one-fiftieth of the land area of our Planet Earth. South Asia has the highest population density (400 people/km2, compared to China's 140 and the USA's 33) in the world. In an evolutionary theory, energy and water combined together create life cycle on earth. Humanity has evolved near the vicinity of water resources. South Asia has vast water resources, and the arable land in this region is 47% of total land area compared to 15% in China and 18% in the US. The land and water resources provide hope for South Asia and future prosperity is possible if both the resources are utilized optimally to enhance the quality of life. A regional, holistic, and inclusive approach has to be adopted to optimize this resource. Interlinking of rivers is one way of optimizing the water resource. However, detailed studies utilizing state-of-the-art technologies such as advanced geodesy/isostasy, satellite remote sensing, and Engineering Geographic Information System (E-GIS) are needed prior to designing and implementing such a project. By coupling the relevant and state-of-the-art technologies and field collected data, including meteorological, hydrological, land use/cover, soil, geologic, and census data, various models such as ecological, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, etc., can be simulated to forecast various options prior to implementing such a project. This research-cum-conceptual presentation will gather in-land historical river linking projects such as in the US, China, Europe, and Egypt to validate the concepts.