1
UPDATE ON DAMS, OPTIONS AND RELATED ISSUES
UPDATE
ON DAMS, OPTIONS & RELATED ISSUES
SANDRPISSUE TWO JANUARY 2002
INDEX
DAMS
Bhakra-Sutlej Project Impacts, Affected yet to be resettledRanjit Sagar dam oustees not resettled
Gujarat approves irrigation project :Vyas calls impractical
V Shiva on Arundhati Roy; Shabana Azmi on Medha Patkar
TEHRI
SANDRP REPORT: No R&R master plan in Tehri project
SARDAR SAROVAR PROJECT: Rising costs
SSP REHABILITATION
Massive fund misuse by Gujarat Govt. alleged
DAM AND DROUGHT AFFECTED JOIN HANDS
Maan dam affected tribals on the roads again
Strange case of Maddualasa dam
GOI on WCD
HYDRO PROJECTS
Clearance to Lower Subansiri HEP RevokedNHPC pulls out of Koel-Karo project
Almatti most expensive HEP
Failure in NHPC’s Chamera II CAT
New Hydro power policy soon?
Rankings study of Hydropower
Daulasidh project
CAG Report confirms S.Kumars financial malpractices
Loktak Dam Impacts
NATHPA JHAKRI: A FIRST RATE SCANDAL
Malana Project Fined for Environmental Violations
IRRIGATION: Water Ministry wants power subsidy to go
Karnataka Water policy gets cabinet nod
Kanyakumari Irrigation in trouble
SOUTH ASIA: Mighty Indus on Deathbed in Sindh?
Pancheshwar DPR delayedMelamchi Project attains financial closure
Norway aid for HEP in Nepal
US JETS HIT AFGHAN DAM; UN fears 'disaster'
AROUND THE WORLD: Capacity shrinks as dams silt up
QUOTESPak Mun Gates to remain open for one year: Victory of struggle
WB’s dishonesty
WB Approves Bujagali Dam Despite Major Risks
Ilusu Dam in Turkey: Balfour Beatty withdraws
LESOTHO: Huge Protest Over Large Dams
World’s lakes threatened
NGO Statement at the Freshwater Conference
WATER OPTIONS: Productive use of wetlands
More Water for whom?CGWA directs for rainwater harvesting
WATER SUPPLY: Regulatory Commission in AP
Lokayukta indicts Delhi Jal Board for corruption /WTO & WATER
WATER POLLUTION: CAG warns on water pollution
Sutlej turns toxic; HC bans Fishing in SutlejYamuna Pollution
FISHERIES: Inland Fish production can go up 10 times?
Fishing rights of AdivasisAGRICULTURE: Pest-related crop damage
Board for organic farming mootedFarmers’ suicide in Karnataka
FOODGRAINS PROCUREMENT
FOOD SECURITY
High price and low purchasing powerNo food security in the country
Supply of foodgrains to drought-affected areas
ABOUT THE UPDATE
2 B lack food security
FLOODS, LANDSLIDES, DISASTERS
Kerala landslideNational Disaster Mitigation Summit
Damage in AP
POWER FINANCE
Govt. plans $1 B power fundWB loan for Power Grid
PFC to refinance IFCI guarantees
POWER ‘REFORMS’
West Bengal proposes law to check power theftSpectrum Shareholders to move CLB, Cong to CBI
MP power reforms face opposition
NTPC notice to UP, MP, Orissa
Proposal to set up 400 power circle profit centres
Power Grid notice to Delhi, Bihar, UP
T&D loss reduction figures ‘incorrect’
NTPC rules out gas-based plant in Bengal in 10th plan
WE AWAIT YOUR RESPONSES
Ethanol with petrol
Tata Power bags first private transmission project
Scan America proposes to set up three projects in Gujarat
POWER OPTIONS
92 paise loss on every unit sold by SEBsPUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE WITH SANDRPGujarat yet to tap wind energy potential
ENRON SAGA
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ISSUES
Central Minister advocates private sector for rural developmentMDBS
BIG QUAKES MAY HIT DELHI
NEW BOOKS, REPORTS
Hydropower Schemes of Uttaranchal
CONTACT INFORMATION: Himanshu Thakkar, Bipin Chandra, South Asia Network on Dams, River and People,
C/o 53B, AD Block, Shalimar Bagh, Delhi 110 088. India. Ph: 747 9916. Email:
SANDRP JANUARY 2002
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UPDATE ON DAMS, OPTIONS AND RELATED ISSUES
DAMS
Bhakra-Sutlej ProjectImpacts The ejection of the silt from an open hydel channel and reservoir of the Bhakra-Sutlej Link projects has ravaged the fertile Balh valley of Mandi district (HP) since the completion of the project in 1977. The problem of the disposal of the huge quantity of silt had not been conceived while designing the project and the BBMB have been evading a permanent solution for the menace since the past 24 years, as a result of which a large area of the valley have turned in to desert. (THE TRIBUNE 29/12/01)
Bhakra Affected yet to be resettled “Many of those displaced for the Bhakra and Pong dams have still not been resettled”, said HP Revenue Minister in the assembly. Once the land was acquired, nobody bothered and promises of jobs were not honoured. Over 500 families displaced by Pong dam are yet to be resettled. Over 700 of the Bhakra dam oustees were still awaiting rehabilitation. The HP Govt. has promised to formulate an R&R policy. (THE HINDU, THE TRIBUNE 20/12/01)
Ranjit Sagar dam oustees not resettled Ranjit Sagar Dam oustees of Dalhousie tehsil have resolved to stage a protest in front of the office of the Punjab Chief Minister in Chandigarh if members of the 218 (out of total 537) affected families are not provided with jobs at the project. The families have written to the Punjab and Himachal Pradesh Governments many times about their grievances but to no avail. (THE TRIBUNE 05/12/01)
Gujarat approves irrigation project that Vyas calls impractical, election balloon The Gujarat govt. has approved a major irrigation project based on Narmada waters to be released through a pipeline network in North Gujarat's Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Banaskantha, Patan and Gandhinagar districts. Narmada waters would be pumped from two places and released in eight reservoirs like Dharoi, Hathmati, Meshwo, Dantiwada, Sipu, Guhai and Chimnabai. The water would result in an additional agricultural production of over Rs 12 B per annum. The govt. would also save a sizeable amount of around 25 % on subsidy given to farmers on power consumption. However, the former Narmada minister, Jaynarayan Vyas, has said "it would be a cruel joke on the people of north Gujarat to show them another impractical dream with just one and a half years left for the elections". Vyas says the project would be expensive and impractical and would need 1,200 MW of electricity for lifting waters to the dams, considerably more than what the alternative link canal would need. He insists, "No such alternative plans should be taken up without concrete study and discussions with experts and representatives from north Gujarat." Vyas says the Survey of India has already completed a study pointing towards the feasibility of the alternative link canal that would help irrigate 10,000 sq km area out of a total of 20,000 sq km in north Gujarat. Vyas has shot off a letter to state finance minister who has stated that a sum of Rs 1.75 B would be set aside from this year's budget for the Rs 30 B project. (THE TIMES OF INDIA-A 28/11/01, 3/12/01)
Govt apathy may delay Kalpasar projectThe Gujarat government's Rs 250 B Kalpasar project, which plans to convert the Gulf of Khambhat into a fresh water lake would kick-start only after 2011. The govt. has so far spent Rs 180 M on the pre-feasibility study. The govt. proposes to pump in another Rs 1.5 B to Rs 2 B on the feasibility report. As per the pre-feasibility study, even if the Narmada dam height is raised to 138 metres, 90 % of Saurashtra and 95 % of Kutch would not get water. (THE TIMES OF INDIA-A 18/12/01)
SANDRP JANUARY 2002
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UPDATE ON DAMS, OPTIONS AND RELATED ISSUES
Power that comes from fearlessness: Vandana Shiva on Arundhati Roy At a time when the courts are systematically ruling against the poor and the marginalised and in favour of the powerful and elite interests, against the public good and in favour of private gain, Arundhati had the courage to speak for justice. The rights of people displaced by large dams have been trampled upon in the Narmada case. Now the ancient town of Tehri is to be buried under the watery grave of the Tehri Dam. At a time when few thinkers and writers could find words to respond to the condemnation of the polarised non-option of “you are either with us or you are a terrorist”, Arundhati did use powerful words. Power that comes from fearlessness. (THE TIMES OF INDIA-D 30/12/01)
Dis-empowered get further victimized: Shabana Azmi on Medha PatkarThis is a woman possessed, a woman uninterrupted, a woman who has vowed not to rest till the highest echelons of power in the country are forced to reflect and to answer the simple question she asks "whose progress is this and at whose cost"? It can't be the progress of a few at the cost of many. If we ask people to vacate their ancestral lands in the name of "development", surely they have a right to expect to be the first beneficiaries of that "development"? Instead we see again and again that the poor and the disempowered get further victimised because they are kept out of the decision-making process. How would the people of Malabar Hill in Mumbai react if they were asked to leave their homes for the "greater common good"? (THE TIMES OF INDIA-D 30/12/01)
SANDRP JANUARY 2002
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UPDATE ON DAMS, OPTIONS AND RELATED ISSUES
TEHRI
Chipko leader’s plea on Tehri Mr. Sunder Lal Bahuguna has urged Members of Parliament to persuade the Govt. to postpone the eviction of residents of Old Tehri town and adjoining areas which would be submerged by the Tehri Dam. Although the Dam may withstand earthquakes, the surrounding fragile hills that make up the sides of the reservoir may collapse due to the earthquake and spell havoc to the regions downstream, he said. (THE HINDU-D 29/11/01)
PM to decide on closing key tunnels of Tehri dam The final decision to shut down two diversion tunnels of Tehri dam would be taken by the Prime Minister, official sources said. Earlier, the project authorities had tentatively decided to close the two tunnels in October-November 2001. The only hindrance in the work is coming from the local people, living around the dam, who want adequate compensation. According to the District Magistrate of Tehri, over one lakh people from 109 villages, which will be submerged in the waters of the reservoir once the two tunnels are closed, are to be rehabilitated in Pashulok and Pathri areas of Dehra Dun and Hardwar districts respectively. (THE DECCAN HERALD 14/11/01)
Closing down of Tehri dam tunnels The Central govt. has given clearance for shutting down two diversion tunnels (T-3 and T-4) of the Tehri dam and the gates were closed on 30 November 2001. For the first time in history, river Bhagirathi stopped flowing. The flow of the river have been diverted through the T-1 and T-2 tunnels. The other two tunnels are to be closed by March 2003 and it will take another two years to fill the reservoir of the highest dam in India. After shutting down of the tunnels the submergence process of the two-century-old Tehri town has begun. (NAVBHARAT TIMES 01/12/01 & 07/12/01 and HINDUSTAN TIMES-D 07/12/01)
Water enters Tehri town The second phase of construction of Tehri Dam project has started. The water of the reservoir also entered in to the Bahuguna’s Kutiya. Mr. Bahuguna, who has been opposing the dam for over 20 years now, wished that the authorities had waited for a decision in the two cases pending before the Supreme Court before flooding the town. The issue is one of “gross violation of human rights” and a case is pending before the NHRC, he said. (THE HINDU-D 08/12/01)
Time bomb called Tehri dam The 260.5 metre high dam is located in an active seismic zone in the fragile and young Himalayan ecology. Between 1816 and 1991, 17 quake have hit the region. Eminent seismologist Mr. Vinod Gaur has reportedly appealed that the dam could lead to dangerous consequences. The ICOLD has declared the site “extremely hazardous”. If a quake of magnitude 8 on the Ritcher scale or more hits the dam, Rishikesh could drown in 63 minutes flat, followed by Hardwar. In February 1980, the Central Environmental Appraisal Committee went on record: “Taking on consideration the geological and social impacts accompanying the project… the Tehri project should not be taken up as it does not merit environmental clearance,” the clock, it seems, won’t be turned back. But for the people, it could be time bomb that goes on ticking. (Editorial in HINDUSTAN TIMES-D 11/12/01)
Apathy drives Tehri people to go on fast Residents of the Tehri town began a fast in protest against the government’s “indifference” to their rehabilitation in the event of their displacement by the Tehri project. They were also demanding extension of civic amenities till completion of the rehabilitation process. (THE TIMES OF INDIA-D 12/12/01)
SANDRP REPORT: No R&R master plan in Tehri project A report on Tehri rehabilitation, conducted by South Asia Network on Dams, River and People, charges that “…no accurate data on the number of people affected is available.” The report notes that the Environmental Impact Assessment for the project estimated the number of affected persons to be 97,000 in 1999 but data available with the THDC puts the number at a mere 67,500. Report also says, “large number of affected people are not even included in the R&R package.” The report states “twenty six year after project construction began, there is still no R&R master plan.” The report shows that nearly 70 per cent of the rural families affected by the project and 90 per cent of those in the partially affected category have not received their resettlement benefit. Besides, over 93 per cent of ex-gratia has not been paid yet. At last the report said that, all construction on the Tehri dam must cease until a just resettlement plan is implemented. (RASHTRIYA SAHARA 26/11/01, HINDUSTAN-D 10/12/01 THE TIMES OF INDIA-D 14/12/01, TRIBUNE 31/12/01)
The full SANDRP report Testimonies from the Ground: A Report on Tehri Rehabilitation was released on Nov. 23, 2001. The report is available with SANDRP (wee box on publications) and also on internet (
SARDAR SAROVAR PROJECT
Rising costs The cost of the SSP, Rs 64.06 B in 1986-87, was revised to Rs. 130 B by 1996-97. Over the last couple of years the cost moved from Rs 180 B to Rs 240 B to now at Rs 300 B. SSNNL’s opinion is that the realistic project cost will be over Rs 400 B. All this financial jugglery is bound to hurt Gujarat. Not surprisingly, the Gujarat Govt. has not been too forthcoming with the nitty-gritty on the cash to be generated if the project were to achieve financial closure in the next couple of years. The amount spent so far is Rs 118.2 B. (BUSINESS LINE-D 05/12/01)
SSP REHABILITATION
Gujarat, MP Govts want to give cash compensationThe Gujarat govt. is determined to go ahead with the idea of giving cash compensation to MP oustee families to be submerged because of SSP. "If necessary, we will amend Clause 11 of the NWDA, which specifically refers to the oustees resettlement issues by introducing cash compensation as an option, proposed by MP at the last NCA meeting", said a senior bureaucrat. Officials are of the view that there is "no legal hurdle" in amending the award. (THE TIMES OF INDIA-A 11/01)
*The MP CM has started making moves to have the NWDT award to be re-opened to allow for cash compensation instead of land to the people who will be displaced by the SSP. MP CM had an informal meeting with the Gujarat CM to build a consensus on the issue, where Gujarat CM agreed to pay Rs. 2.39 B to MP for providing cash compensation. MP will have to rehabilitate the maximum number of oustee families estimated at over 33,000. The four concerned States and R&R sub Group of NCA, headed by secretary, Union Ministry of Welfare have to be in agreement to open the award. NBA has called the move illegal and in violation of NWDT and also in violation of the Supreme Court orders. Prominent persons and various organisations in Maharashtra have condemned the move. They demanded that, if the state governments cannot provide land for the PAFs, they should suspend the work on the dam, think of alternatives to the project. (The Hindu-D, Rashtriya Sahara 14/11/01, NBA Press Note)
Brutal lathi charge on peaceful protesters The MP Government continued its spree of police repression in the Narmada valley as it brutally lathi charged peaceful protestors in the village Chotta Badada (Dist. Badwani, M.P) badly injuring more than 15 people who have been under arrest and admitted in the hospital at Badwani. MP Government has been trying to carry out surveys in the villages affected by SSP. However, the people of the valley have been opposing these surveys as they are saying that the Government has shown no sincerity to resettle the people, the arrangements for resettlement are not in place and there is no land available for the same, resettlement Master Plan is available. These surveys are being carried out only to make a show that some work is being done on resettlement. (NBA 25/11/01)
* Narmada Villagers Warn Against State Terrorism in Madhya PradeshHundreds of men and women from the villages in the Narmada Valley were out on the roads in Badwani on Dec. 3, to protest and warn the MP government against the doublespeak, continuous repression and the inhuman policy of displacing the people by threat and force. The wayward and heinous method followed by MP government in the villages of Nimad, in the name of surveying the villages, for past two months was condemned by the people and they resolved to fight against this state-terror and unjust policy. The MP govt. has been intimidating villagers affected by the SSP, to displace, that too with the cash compensation in violation of the NWDT provisions. (NBA PR 04/12/01)