New Delhi, Sept. 8 -- The recent floods in Punjab have been some of the worst in its history. While much has been debated about the role of government and the mismanagement of dams, the cardinal reason that is not being talked about is what has caused the disaster in the first place: water.

The floods should force us all to rethink how we treat water and its very nature: how it flows from one place to another; how exactly a river forms and how it transforms the landscape along its course.

The latter part is especially relevant in the ongoing conversation about floods in Punjab.

There is no water management system in the state at present. The Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers flow from Punjab to Pakistan. All these rivers are dammed. They ar...