[Assam] article

[Chan Mahanta]

Good job Goswami. I hope there will be more publicity against these 
undertakings so that an effective
ground-swell of informed public opinion could be generated to prevent 
further damage to the land and lives of our people.

And don't forget to  go investigate and write about what mm wrote 
about: The sand-casting of agricultural lands caused by the national 
highway  ( actually I call it the national shame) and the railroad 
tracks that  dam up the natural flow of water down to the 
Brahmaputra. This is no less an act of destruction.

cm













At 1:58 PM +0530 12/31/08, anitak goswami wrote:
>Dams of progress or damming up progress?
>  - Ranen Kumar Goswami
>
>Development
>can be pure disasters, Months ago, people of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji
>learnt it the hard way when their villages, paddy fields and with them
>their means of livelihood went under the water released from the
>Ranganadi Hydro-power project of Neepco in the neighbouring Arunachal
>Pradesh. Much more is in store as Neepco (North Eastern Electric Power
>Corporation) is unrelenting and the Arunachal Government is determined
>to implement many more such projects across the State. Not that only
>Assam is at the receiving end, local tribals and their lands are
>threatened too.
>
>Dibang valley district of Arunachal Pradesh is
>home to the Idu-Mishmis whose total population is about 12,000. The
>State Government has plans for 13 large hydel projects in the district.
>A major argument put forward in favour of these projects is that there
>will be relatively small displacement by submergence as compared to
>other parts of the country. In Dibang Valley itself the projects will
>attract skilled and unskilled labourers upwards of one lakh for long
>periods as they are long gestation projects. Will this not create a
>tremendous pressure on the demographic and other socio-cultural
>structures of the Idu-Mishmis? This will also render meaningless the
>constitutional and legal protection the tribe enjoys as do other tribes
>of Arunachal.
>
>Altogether 168 large dams of a cumulative capacity
>of 63,328 mega watt have been planned in the North East, identified as
>the country's future powerhouse, Neeraj Vagholikar of Kalpavriksh
>Environmental Action Group points out, "several unique features of the
>North East-geological fragility, location in a highly seismic zone,
>diversity of ethnic communities, a large percentage of which is
>dependent on traditional natural resource-based livelihoods, unique
>socio-cultural and agro-ecological practices, bio-diversity
>richness-pose a challenge to these ambitious plans. As the Centre and
>States push for these hydel projects, large dams are emerging as a
>major issue of conflict in the region." To go into the entire issue,
>the Human Rights Law Network, an NGO, in collaboration with the
>Arunachal Citizens Rights and Nefa Indigenous Human Rights Organisation
>organised an Independent People's Tribunal (IPT), which conducted a
>hearing at Itanagar on February 3, 2008. The panel comprised Subhram
>Rajkhowa, faculty of law, Gauhati University, Nandini Oza, social
>activist and Shripad Dharmadhikary, researcher on dams and water
>issues. Earlier on February 2, 2008 the panel visited the Subansiri
>(Lower) project dam site and the affected village of Gerukamukh/Durpai
>and another village affected by the Ranganadi project. The panel
>members met many affected people and heard their versions of the story.
>Some of them have their views in writing. The panel in its report says
>it had invited representatives from the State government and the
>companies involved in building these projects, but none of them turned
>up for the hearing nor did they send any written communication to the
>panel.
>
>After the on-the-spot feel and the hearing, the panel
>came to the conclusion that the dams under construction and in pipeline
>are likely to have huge social and environmental impacts, some of which
>are already being felt. These impacts not been fully and properly
>assessed. In particular, there has been no assessment of the cumulative
>impacts of many dams in a river basin or a cascade of dams on a river.
>People, likely to be affected, have been excluded from the assessment
>process. These dams will displace many people directly by submergence
>and are likely to displace many times more this number by affecting
>forest resources, fish, land etc on which these communities depend.
>There is widespread concern that the resettlement and rehabilitation
>policy will not be applicable to the projects in Arunachal as in many
>cases the number of affected people has been shown to be less than 250,
>the cut-off number. Resources like land, forests, fish, rivers are
>attached to various tribes and specifically distributed geographically,
>so resources like land are not likely to be available to the displaced
>people. Attempts to resettle people of one tribe or clan in areas that
>belong to other tribes are likely to lead to ethnic conflicts.
>
>The
>panel says the customs, traditions and the very character of local
>tribal communities are closely tied to the land, forests, rivers and
>other elements of the natural eco-systems. The dam projects will
>adversely affect these natural resources. The two factors, influx of
>outsiders in large numbers and destruction of the natural eco-systems,
>are therefore likely to threaten the very identity and culture of
>several communities, who are already endagered due to their small
>numbers. The panel points out that the people in the areas where dam
>projects are coming up have not been consulted in the process of
>planning of the projects or informed about them. In many cases, people
>come to know about a project only when the work begins. Majority of the
>people around project areas are opposing them and are raising larger
>questions like what kind of development these projects will bring. The
>report informs that the people affected or likely to be affected by
>these issued have been making presentations and submissions through
>oral and written petitions and sometimes even organising
>demonstrations. But all these have fallen on deaf ears. The State
>Government and the companies implementing the projects are reluctant to
>pay proper attention to them.
>
>Here is a shocking instance of
>Neepco's callousness as was found out by the panel. The 405 mega watt
>Ranganadi Hydro-electric project, stage-1, commissioned in 2002,
>involves a dam to divert the flow of the river into the Dikrong river.
>It has led to a problem of diminished water flows and also a problem of
>sudden high flows in the river. On several occasions the project
>releases large quantities of water in the river without any warning
>leading to flash flood-like situations. There have been many cases of
>cattle being washed away, and some years back one person was swept away
>due to the sudden water release. People are now scared of going near
>the river and allowing their children to play on its banks. And what
>was the Neepco response when the matter was brought to its notice? Not
>only was the company cool to the complaints, but as if to overstate its
>unaccountability, it issued a circular asking the people to keep away
>from the river. Among other things the circular said: "the gates of
>Ranganadi diversion dam may require opening from time to time. ----All
>villagers, individuals, temporary settlers etc, residing on the banks
>of the river and other nearby areas ... on the downstream of the dam
>are to refrain from going to the river and also to restrict their pet
>animals too from moving around the river..... the corporation will not
>take any responsibility for any loss of life of human, pet animals, etc
>and damage of property and others." This circular issued in June, 2006
>is with the panel which calls it totally irresponsible.
>
>The
>panel suggests that the government of Arunachal Pradesh and the
>Government of India take immediate cognizance of the issues raised by
>the people. Intense and widespread debates and discussions should be
>initiated on the dam construction programme which cover issues like
>real costs and impact of the projects, who will actually benefit from
>them and in what manner, who will pay the price and also alternative
>options for sustainable development. All constructions should be
>stopped till a consensus emerges from these discussions, the panel
>recommends. Further, it says: "The United Nations Declaration on
>Indigenous Rights, December 2007 mandates that free, prior and informed
>consent must be taken from the indigenous people before implementing
>any hydro project in their area."
>
>The panel's findings, the
>people's agonies and other social workers' concerns naturally provoke a
>question in our mind, are these the dams of progress or are they
>damming up progress?
>
>(PUBLISHED IN THE ASSAM TRIBUNE ON 31st of DECEMBER, 2008)
>
>
>
>       Share files, take polls, and make new friends - all under one 
>roof. Go to http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups/
>_______________________________________________
>assam mailing list
>assam at assamnet.org
>http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org