hindu sunday edition had a good story on the sad state awaiting athirapally. titled "stubborn assault", it eloquently captures the sorry story of the vital chalakudy river with focus on the ill fated latest athirapally hydel dam.

how much can we hit a river. how much can we abuse a river. how much can we ask more and more and more from a river that we have killed. abuse has no meaning when it comes to india's river and chalakudy river is no exception.

rivers rivers,
flowing in india,
what do we do to you all

we kill ya,
we rape ya,
we filth ya,
we smoke the life out of ya

yet you giveth,
your water,
your energy,
your beauty

we don't care yet (and never),
for we meant 'development'
(chalakudy river in kerala. reduced to a trickle by a spate of dams and abused in numerous other ways in name of development. dying, dead and gone will be the 3 words describing india's lifeline rivers. picture courtesy the hindu)