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Season for religious festivities has set in and this phenomenon is an annual feature which is celebrated with great devotion and enthusiasm by the devotees by preparing idols of their chosen deities and holding processions. The festivals of Ganesh Chathurthi and Durga Puja are of specific significance because their celebrations entail preparing of idols of Ganeshji or Ganapati Bappa during Ganesh Chathurthi and the idol of Goddess Kali is prepared and decorated beautifully during the Durga Puja. The idols of the deities are prepared from the clean and pure earthly soil and thereafter these idols are beautifully decorated with different colours. There takes place a sort of competition among different groups to prepare the most attractive idol of their deity. The colours used in beautifying the idols of the deities contain harmful chemical ingredients. Once the celebrations are over, these idols are immersed in the nearby water bodies like rivers, lakes or in the sea. Immersion of idols

[This report is based on the personal observations made by Dr. Arvind Kumar, President of Water India Foundation, New Delhi, during his recent to the North-eastern states of India from 30 December 2008 to 6 January 2009. apart from personal observations about the water situation, the report has also relied upon available supporting material in order to highlight the water-related problems and put them in a proper perspective so that efforts to resolve these problems are put in place.] Water Situation in North Eastern Region The North Eastern Region (NER), consists of the eight Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. This region is endowed with abundant water resources carried by its several rivers originating mainly from the Trans-Himalayas, Middle-Himalayas and the Sub-Himalayas on the north, Patkai-Purbachal hills on the north-east and east and Karbi-Jaintia-Meghalaya-Garo hills on the southern fringe. The Brahmaputra in

China’s reported move to build a series of dams in Tibet, including a hydel power generation plant at Zangmu on the middle reaches of the Brahmaputra, as per media reports, is a very serious issue entailing far-reaching implications for India. The plan has been part of a larger Chinese initiative to tap Himalayan rives for hydropower. Tibet’s rivers had remained largely untapped owing to the difficult terrain, but with improvements in technology in recent years, China has embarked on an ambitious plan to tap fresh water in Tibet. The Tibetan Plateau is a landscape of enormous glaciers, huge alpine lakes, and mighty waterfalls – a storehouse of freshwater so bountiful that the region serves as the headwaters for many of Asia’s largest rivers, including the Yellow, Yangtze, Mekong, Brahmaputra, Salween, and Sutlej, among others. According to studies by the United Nations and several prominent global environmental organizations, almost half of the world’s population lives in the watershed

[Present dispensation in China is engaged in creating a harmonious society in China and the burgeoning problem of water shortage is likely to upset its ambitious aspirations as counties affected may give rise to unmanageable problems. The rivers emanating from Tibet, while passing through Tibet stream downward the neighboring countries. Brahmaputra and Sutlej which originate from Tibet flow down into India. However, China’s contemplated move to build dams along Sino-Indian border can adversely impact India, Ed.] The present regime under the leadership of President Hu Jintao in Beijing is pursuing the policy of hexie shehui or the harmonious society, which envisages social and political stability based on sustainable development and people’s welfare. However, the Chinese society is afflicted with severe water scarcity and pollution, which seems a clear fault line in its path to the society. The problem of water scarcity has threatened the Chinese people’s sustenance; caused grain loss;

*President, India Water Foundation, New Delhi. Current pace of cordial and warm relations between India and France has a history of over three centuries behind it. Francois Bernier (1625–1688), a French physician and traveler, served as the personal physician of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb for about twelve years in the 17th century. By early 18th century, the Anglo-French rivalry had been extended to India and the French succeeded in the 1746 Battle of Madras, but failed in the Battle of Arcot in 1751. Apart from Britain, France was another major European power to establish its colonies in India. France established the madras Presidency that comprised modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Subsequently, France ceded bulk of Madras Presidency to the British but retained control of Pondicherry and Calicut. Following attainment of independence by India in August 1947, diplomatic relations were established between France and newly independent India. Peaceful negotiations

China’s reported move to build a series of dams in Tibet, including a hydel power generation plant at Zangmu on the middle reaches of the Brahmaputra, as per media reports, is a very serious issue entailing far-reaching implications for India. The plan has been part of a larger Chinese initiative to tap Himalayan rives for hydropower. Tibet’s rivers had remained largely untapped owing to the difficult terrain, but with improvements in technology in recent years, China has embarked on an ambitious plan to tap fresh water in Tibet. The Tibetan Plateau is a landscape of enormous glaciers, huge alpine lakes, and mighty waterfalls – a storehouse of freshwater so bountiful that the region serves as the headwaters for many of Asia’s largest rivers, including the Yellow, Yangtze, Mekong, Brahmaputra, Salween, and Sutlej, among others. According to studies by the United Nations and several prominent global environmental organizations, almost half of the world’s population lives in the watershed

Dr Arvind Kumar* *President, India water Foundation, New Delhi. Relations between India and Japan have undergone a significant and qualitative shift in recent years, propelled by the successful regular summit level exchanges, growing political, strategic, economic and socio-cultural interactions. Indo-Japanese relations are rooted in the ancient history because Buddhism spread to Japan from India. Besides, Japan hosted many Indian freedom fighters like Ras Behari Bose, Subhash Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army during India’s national freedom struggle against the British colonialism which helped in generating tremendous goodwill towards in India. The Justice Radhabinod Pal, who was among the eleven-judge panel appointed to hear the cases of those charged with Class-A war crimes was an Indian. When the proceedings came to a conclusion and the court returned guilty verdicts, Justice Pal was the only judge of the eleven to write a dissenting opinion that acquitted all 25 Japanese d