Even as our nation is poised to become a superpower, it is yet to deal with basic issues like floods and droughts

Even as India is celebrating the landmark 75th anniversary of Independence from colonial masters, this great nation is still struggling to address basic issues faced by citizens. India has succeeded in deploying hundreds of satellites in different orbits using a single launch vehicle and, that too, at a cost that would put space technology superpowers to shame. The country is the watch tower for the Indian Ocean Rim States, stretching from Japan to Africa, in monitoring tsunamis originating from the bottom of the seas and alerting the world about the impending fury of nature.

Droupadi Murmu, the new President of India, in her inaugural address on July 25 reminded the people that the country was on the verge of becoming a superpower. "Moving ahead in every field - from 'Vocal for Local' to 'Digital India' - today's India, marching in step with the world, is all set for 'Industrial Revolution 4.0", the President reminded the people of the country.

Even as Murmu was addressing the nation, most parts of Assam and Andhra Pradesh were experiencing the annual floods caused by the Monsoon fury. The phenomenon reminds one of the lyrics "Water, water everywhere and all the boards did shrink, waterwater everywhere nor a drop to drink." According to reports from Assam, more than 300 persons have drowned in this year's flood and millions have been evacuated from their places of residence to safe areas.

Andhra Pradesh too is witnessing unprecedented floods as the water level in the Godavari has touched the 72 ft mark, the highest level to be recorded after 1986. More than a lakh people have been shifted to relief camps while 150 habitations in two districts have been inundated during the last fortnights.  Floods, as well as droughts, are annual rituals in India. While one portion of the country is ravaged by floods, another part suffers severe drought as weather gods play truant. According to official data, more than 3000 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of flood water from the Godavari has been drained unutilized into the Bay of Bengal. A fraction of this water could be addressed the water scarcity in Tamil Nadu. The policymakers do not need state-of-the-art technology to shift the unutilized flood waters to water deficit regions. Instead of offering piecemeal help to the affected States, the Centre should be able to offer a one-time solution to address this annual ritual.