Stem of hope?

I find this article writer's viewpoint very interesting. The fact is that the government is taking some initiative to ensure that the garbage is put away in a safe place. All over the world in the developed countries, there are private third party companies that pick up such garbage and dispose it off in a safe way - the biodegradable part is used to produce methane and then electricity, and the recyclable part is used to produce other goods. This is the only part of the garbage that helps make this business viable. Also, looking at the bigger picture, this helps keep the streets well sanitized and the tax payers and normal citizens living in healthy surroundings. Now, the ragpickers are carrying out a profession that is unhealthy even for them. Also, when they pick stuff from the piled garbage, they scatter around the other garbage, which is a sure attraction for rodents, and other disease spreading germs. Is the writer suggesting that we continue to encourage the ragpickers (to the extent of even legalising them!!) to continue living an unhygienic life? Wouldnt it make more sense that the common man, citizen and tax payer get what they deserve more - i.e. a clean and hygienic living condition, and the government instead look at ways to help the ragpickers get employment in these private companies that help recycle and safely handle the garbage?
Unfortunately, it is such 'activists' that bring more harm than good to the citizens of India. I would say Kudos to the Delhi municipality, and this should be carried out in all the major metros and places where garbage disposal in large landfills is harmful to public health.

Thanks for such a wonderful article on flooding and thanks for educating us on various aspects around storage, flooding and government efforts so far.

What I found outrageous was why are our dams and reservoirs not able to store the most precious commodity - water. Why is silting rate higher than expected and what can be done to increase storage capacity of our dams and reservoirs?

I did some initial research on silting in dams. Looks like increasing land use around dam lakes (farming, deforestation) is causing more erosion and hence reducing our storage capacity.

What steps can be taken to reduce deforestation around lake lands? Also, do we have some easy ways to clear silt without flushing precious water? I do not understand silt properties but if these mining companies are mining river beds, can we license them to mine dam lake beds and remove silt and use it for some commercial purpose?

Your thoughts on the above will be appreciated.