NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
TERM PAPER
WATER CONFLICT IN INDIA
SUBMIITED TO-
PROF. SHAMBU PRASAD
SUBMITTED BY:-
Richa Rai(roll no-39)
Shubha( roll no- 49)
Contents
Content Pages
Abstract 1
Introduction 2
Cauvery River Dispute 3-4
The Potential Causes
Contending Water Uses: 5-6
· Keoladeo National Park
· Case of Vadali district of Gujarat
Equity, Access and Allocation 7-8
· Conflict in the Bhavani
· The Palkhed canal system of upper Godavari project
Conflicts Around Water Quality 8-9
· Kolleru wildlife sanctuary
· The case of Khari river
Micro level dispute 9-10
· Monitoring failure at Kanpur:Gravity Dam in trouble
· Shapin River Basin in Jharkhand
Dams and Displacement 11-12
· Sardar Sarovar Dam
· Haripad Project In Madhya Pradesh
Transboundary Disputes 12-13
· Two neighbours and a Treaty (Baglihar Project):
· Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal
Privatisation 14
Summary 15
Learning 15
Reference 16
ABSTARCT
Increasing demand and development pressures are changing the characteristics of water in India. Out of India’s eighteen major rivers seventeen are interstate in nature and represent various distributional issues including intense conflicts in sharing the river waters. It is easy to get tangled because there are many perceptions, multiple uses and dimensions of water. Water is perceived as a commodity, as commons, as a basic right, a scarce resource and a source of divinity. All most all major problems bothering our water commons can be traced to the institutions, policy and politics of water resource management. Resolution of conflicts by administrative, judicial or political means would not be permanent as new forms of conflicts arose. This paper thus intends to comprehend in conceptual terms the extent to which the prevalent water sharing among India and its neighbors is peaceful and whether the water scarcity and population rise in India intensifies the chances for water conflicts. In doing this, it tries to start by addressing the water problems- the famous Cauvery dispute and then the different conflicts that have not received the same kind of attention. The paper discusses the factors that lead to the water conflicts in different context. The objective is to demonstrate how conflicts at basin level influence the local priorities and needs. The paper also likes to understand the growing nature and types of water conflicts in Peninsular India so as to generate a national dialogue towards evolving a policy framework to address the adverse socio-economic, political and ecological impacts of water-based conflicts.
INTRODUCTION
"Conflicts over water arise form the fact that under conditions of increasing scarcity, competition levels also increase.” Anthony Turton
Water as a resource is very comparable to oil; it is essential to all daily human activities. Water is becoming a very valuable commodity, yet freshwater resources are unevenly distributed among developing countries. As demand for water hits the limits of finite supply, potential conflicts are brewing between nations that share transboundary freshwater reserves. More than 50 countries on five continents might soon be caught up in water disputes unless they move quickly to establish agreements on how to share reservoirs, rivers, and underground water aquifers. Water conflicts within and between many developing countries such as India is also taking a serious turn. From east to west and north to south, water has defined life on the Indian subcontinent for thousands of years. Over time, the population has learned to deal with the vagaries of the monsoon climate, where too much rain would lead to devastating floods along the subcontinents many rivers and too little rain would lead to catastrophic drought in arid and semi-arid regions across the country. On average, however, the combination of rainfall, surface and groundwater resources have been sufficient in providing adequate water to the Indian population. The problem is however in the relative paucity of frameworks, policies, and mechanisms to govern use of water resources.
Cauvery River Dispute
The Cauvery River is one of the most contentious water supplies in Southern India. The Cauvery watershed is divided between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu (both Southern Indian States). Similar to other divided watersheds there is peace in times of good rains. However, when the monsoons fail, violence erupts. There is a tendency now for water issues to reach a crisis which requires a quick fix, rather than pursuing a long term solution.
The Cauvery River Dispute has been a serious issue since 1974. Karnataka asserts that the 1924 agreement entailed a discontinuation of the water supply to Tamil Nadu after 50 years. The conflict between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka compounds a century old dispute over the vital interests of farmers in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. In April 1991, the Supreme Court of the Government of India reassigned a tribunal to settle the dispute as mandated in the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act. The Tribunal heard arguments from both states, and reached the decision that Karnataka must release 205 TMC of water from the Cauvery reservoirs to Tamil Nadu on a monthly basis.
Karnataka declined to accept the ruling of the Tribunal. The Government of Karnataka argued that the Tribunal issued a decision that was not implementable. Due to failed monsoons, many parts of Karnataka were left without adequate water supplies. If the government were to release more than 100 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu, then it would be disadvantaging its own people.
The rejection of the Tribunal's decision pushed the negotiations on a downward spiraling path that eventually led to aborted talks. The most recent conflict over the Cauvery River was in 1996, and continues still today.
Beginning in 1995, the monsoons failed to fill the Cauvery tributaries possessed by Tamil Nadu. On January 1, 1996, Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao asked Karnataka to release an immediate six tmcft (one thousand million cubic feet) of water to Tamil Nadu to save the standing crops. In addition, the Prime Minister announced the immediate formation of an expert council to "spot assess" the status of the standing crop of both states to include the level of water needed to sustain the crops.
The dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the Cauvery River continues today. The dispute flares when the monsoons fail, and pacify when the rains are plenty.
WATER CONFLICTS IN PENINSULAR INDIA
In India, particularly South India, there is no sub basin and basin that is free from water conflicts. The government by and large does the decision-making on water utilisation and farmers' role at this level is negligible.
Pollavaram Project
Polavaram is a major project on the Godavari River named after the closest town in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. It is expected to cost some Rs 9,265 crore ($2,131 million) but recently the Chief Minister put this as high as 20,000 crore ($4,590 million). Work is scheduled to start on the extensive canal network first since this is the part of the project that will take the longest time to complete. As of now no source of reliable funding is available. Clearances for submersion in Orissa and Chhattisgarh are expected to take a long time still.
The main issue with the project is the submergence of at least 276 villages or up to 170,000 people of which 259 villages are in Andhra Pradesh, 10 in Chhattisgarh and 7 in Orissa. A majority of the people belongs to Scheduled Tribes and lives along the Godavari and adjacent smaller riverbeds upstream of the barrage. As so many times in India’s history of water development, people from the Scheduled Areas are being asked to give up their lands to benefit non-tribals. Villagers at the project site, outraged at work being started on the right canal without being given information, have protested at the camp site and prevented the engineers from doing any work. If the government continues to push for implementation the Polavaram project it should be expected to be the scene of major conflicts over the next 10 to 15 years.
Sardar Sarovar and Indira Sagar on the Narmada River, Teesta in West Bengal, Tehri in Uttar Pradesh and Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh are only a few of the major dams that have created controversy over the last decades. Yet the days of this type of project has returned. Polavaram is at present another disaster waiting to happen for tribal people in India. There can be no doubt that farmers in many parts of Andhra Pradesh have faced severe difficulties over the last years but it is doubtful whether this translates into a need for rushing through an ill-planned, extremely expensive dam at Polavaram that will displace thousands.
Pulichintala Project
Pulichintala Project is located near Pulichintala Village on river Krishna, about 85 km Upstream of Prakasam Barrage, Vijayawada. The main Object of the Project is to make available timely supplies for nurseries and also during the transplantation period i.e., for stabilisation of area under Krishna Delta to an extent of 12.5 Lakh Acres. It is proposed to form & terminal reservoir with gross storage capacity of 45.75 TMC. However a conflict has arised. The villagers are protesting against the shifting of the foundation site from their village, and against submergence and the quantum of compensation.
A GIS approach: Restoration of tanks in Salivagu micro basin
The Salivagu micro basin of Telangana in Andhra Pradesh measures a total area of 878.35 sq km and tanks and reservoirs in the region number 447. Of these, 15 water sources were selected for tank desiltation under this project and GPS surveys of the areas greatly aids the process. Tanks in the micro basin amount to an area of 5640.61 hectares, accounting for about 6.4 % of geographic area. The study indicates that rejuvenating existing tanks could be one the viable option to meet immediate water needs. It is possible to store about minimum of 0.19 million cubic meters (TMC) and maximum of 0.57 TMC of water at depths of 1m and 3m respectively by repairing, desilting these tanks. Even if 6% of rainwater is stored, it could improve groundwater recharge considerably. Salivagu is the focus of WWF studies at present. Several surveys have been conducted in the mid-Godavari basin region to evaluate environmental, physical, social and economic conditions for irrigation development. However, most surveys lack systematic spatial data. The study proposes to develop a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database for these tanks, coupled with other physical parameters and social attributes of the micro basin to render development works more effective. With an adequate database, GIS can serve as a powerful analytic and decision-making tool for irrigation development. It can also be used for management and to test consequences of development.
The Potential Causes
There has been much speculation over what causes conflicts over water. The conflicts arise over who has the power to control water and therefore control the economy and population. By breaking it down into categories, we can begin to understand the causes:-
Contending Water Uses:
Water is a common pool resource and often conflicts related to contention between different kinds of uses arise. The issue is one of rapidly decreasing water supply amidst a growing number of users who require larger quantities with every passing year. The two case studies discussed under this theme are case of Keoladeo National Park, case of Vadali village of Gujarat and the Majuli island case.
Keoladeo National Park: Keoladeo National park in eastern Rajasthan is a rich man made bio diversity zone and is surrounded by 21 villages. There are often circumstances when the issue of water requirement for the park and that of irrigation in the surrounding rural landscape becomes a reason for discontent and conflict in the region. The conflict of Keoladeo National Park is over use of water of the Panchna Dam. The local farmers have objected to the water allocation for the park and on the other hand the park administrations lobby the state irrigation department for their quota of water. However after the intervention of the state govt. and CEC (Central Empowered Committee) of the Supreme Court the issue has softened a bit but there is a need of more realistic solutions. Intensive watershed management and flood plain revival programmes in catchments, downstream of Panchana reservoir may be the solution.
Case of Vadali district of Gujarat:- Vadali in Chotila Taluka of Sundernagar district of Gujarat is one of the numerous drought stricken villages in the state. Water for drinking and irrigation is of critical concern here due to scanty and erratic rainfall and low groundwater recharge. Moreover due to the persisting differences between higher caste, chiefly the Ahirs , and those lower in the hierarchy such as Kohli and the other Dalit castes the condition of water scarcity have aggravated. The conflict that arises here clearly demonstrates that power structure and social and economic hierarchy go hand in hand.
The Majuli Island- Under the National Rail Vikas Yojana, the Bogibeel bridge is to be constructed to fulfill a long-felt need of people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. But the hitch in this construction is the Majuli island located downstream of the proposed bridge. It is the largest inhabited island in the world and is vying for recognition as a world heritage site. There has been a considerable loss of land here due to a constant threat of flood and erosion and so people here are apprehensive about the construction of this bridge. People are worried about the erosion that will take place due to this construction. There is also a concern over the lack of special environmental impact assessment or a sound environmental management plan for mitigating the adverse impact. It is a major issue of conflict and there are protests by the local population. So it is for the government to intervene and come forward with a problem-solving, co-operative approach that involves collaboration.
Equity, Access and Allocation
This focuses mainly on equity issues between different users but within the same kind of use. Water supply and management issues are becoming increasingly important as the demand on existing supplies continues to grow. Increasing populations in many areas, combined with increasing demand for water for recreation, scenic value, and fish and wildlife habitat, have resulted in conflicts throughout the country