 The Himalayas, rugged and imposing, they stand head and shoulders above everything around them, portraying a majesty that others can only aspire towards. The swift, turbulent rivers that surged down these slopes are powerful in their own right. Like people, they also possess multiple personalities, shades of complexity and purpose. When these rivers rush through rock, they are ruthless and carving a path for themselves. But when they choose to be gentile, they then nurture the land with their bounty. Once water is taken as a product, or even if it is taken as a commodity and if people understand its commercial values, people understand its, you know, the business values, water can really transform the Nepalese economy and to a large extent, even the northern sections, northern regions of the Indian economy into a very, very thriving and a burgeoning economics. Other Himalayan rivers, however, continue to eat into their banks and wreak havoc. They carry 2.5 billion tons of soil and silt down to the Bay of Bengal every year. The Kathmandu valley is dependent on the Bhagmati, she is its lifeline. Yet, further downstream, the Bhagmati is known for the misery she brings. Soil erosion in the hills means silt in the river. When the river reaches the plains, this silt settles and the river swells its bed causing floods. When we talk about managing water resources, there are several models of water management. And one of the models of water management, when you have a seasonality problem, that the water flow is available in certain months of the year and rest of the months are having problems of water, then you have to retain water. And that's where I think the construction of dams, construction of embankments, construction of different nature of structures becomes essential. The irrigation facilities developed in Nepal, with Indian cooperation, is off the order of 2.32 lakh hectares, which is about 24% of total irrigation potential developed in Nepal till 1990. The three great river systems of the Kosi, the Gandaki and the Karnali along with the Mahakali, account for nearly 90% of the Nepal's surface water resource. They also offer 114 prospective sites, which are estimated to be able to generate more than 45,000 megawatt of electric power on economically feasible terms. In the eastern Himalayas lies the land of the funder dragon, Pratana. This small Buddhist kingdom is a living example of how initiative and well-thought-out projects can radically change the present and engender a promising future. Bhutan is estimated to have a hydroelectric potential of about 30,000 megawatts. It has made a small beginning in tapping it, but with a clear sense of purpose and a strategy based on common sense. The government is determined to preserve the balance between economic development on the one hand and the country's cultural heritage and pristine environment on the other. The 336 megawatt Chukha hydroelectric project was Bhutan's first major power project. It is located close to the confluence of the two rivers, Tichu and Wangchu. 70% of the power generated at Chukha is exported to India. One single project in Bhutan, which is basically bought by India, Bhutan earns a hefty sum of almost 145 crore rupees per annum and that has brought about a massive transformation in the resource mobilisations in Bhutan. The eminent Nepalese poet, Maudnath Parashrit has written, Give us the depths of the ocean and we will give you the heights of the Himalayas in return. One way of fulfilling his dream of unity would be for the countries of the region to harness the waters of the Himalayas. Maybe when this goal is achieved, the Ganga, representing all our dreams of prosperity, will flow quietly into each day of an endless common future.