[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
DAM-L PR: SSP Not a Solution for Drought (fwd)
----- Forwarded message from Medha Patkar -----
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 11:20:10 -0700
To: irn-narmada@netvista.net
From: Medha Patkar <medhapatkar@vsnl.com> (by way of Patrick McCully)
Subject: PR: SSP Not a Solution for Drought
Sender: owner-irn-narmada@netvista.net
Precedence: bulk
[text/enriched is unsupported, treating like TEXT/PLAIN]
[Charset iso-8859-1 unsupported, filtering to ASCII...]
subject: PR: SSP Not a Solution for Drought
<center>
<bigger><bigger><bigger>Narmada Bachao Andolan
</bigger></bigger></bigger><bold>B-13, Shivam Flats, Ellora Park,
Baroda, Gujarat
</bold></center><bold>
</bold>Press Note 13.10.2000
<center><bold>SSP Not A Solution for Drought
No Land for Oustees - No Compromise on Dam Height would be Possible
</bold></center>Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) continues to be a battle
field, even after 20 years. The main construction on the dam is stalled
due to the stay order of the Supreme Court and the final judgment is
awaited. However, the happenings in the fields, more than the natures
wrath, actions by the state governments on the one hand and
misconceived notions and allegations based on SSP_s relevance for the
drought-affected in Kutch-Saurashra (Gujarat) on the other, keep the
controversy burning. The tribals and peasants in the three states are
compelled to fight a fiery battle on all fronts.
Drum beating on drought as a creation of Narmada Bachao Andolan is not
new. As always, SSP continues to be used as a mirage for the people in
the drought-affected regions of Gujarat and to an extent, Rajasthan.
NBA has to stress time and again that SSP as per its original plan, is
not for the real needy regions but will serve the industrial belt and
water intensive cropping including sugarcane for sugar industries in
the central Gujarat. Mere 2 % of water allocated to Kutch at the tail
end of the canal will never be available as there is less water in
Narmada than estimated. Narmada Sagar has fallen behind by a decade and
those in the first stretches of the canal network would take away the
largest magnitude of benefits.
The latest announcement by Gujarat Government to use the waters from
the partial pondage due to half built SSP needs to be analysed in this
context. Since January, as per the plans announced by the Minister for
Narmada Project (Gujarat), waters would be lifted and carried to
Ahmedabad city, parts of central Gujarat and Saurashtra. NBA always
referred to the technical feasibility of lifting the reservoir waters
to be carried through canals to the distant regions, including Kutch.
This was not acted upon by the Government only to push their demand for
raising the dam-height. But only an express canal that would avoid any
allocation to the regions on the way could help achieve. The already
skewed dish of benefits had no allocation for Ahmedabad, Baroda or any
other city and yet only 1.6% of Kutch_s and 9.24% of Saurashtra_s
cultivable land was falling in the SSP command. With Ahmedabad city
included in the list of beneficiaries, even if for this year_s apparent
water crisis, Kutchis would have to leave all hopes of received their
due share. The plans also indicate water to be taken to the villages in
Saurashtra but there is no technical feasibility plan ready as yet and
either pipelines or minor canal network in that region is absent.
While the people in Kutch Saurashtra had switched over to the
people-oriented, participatory water harvesting measures that proved
their worth in many many villages, the new adhoc surface water supply
plan would again, it is feared even by the activists and NGOs, kill the
initiative. However, NBA would prefer to caution the drought affected
regions but also wait and watch the results of Gujarat succeeds in its
effort and achieve just distribution not just the ponded but flood
waters in monsoon too can be lifted and stored in the decentralised
ponds all over the state. NBA always suggested the technical
feasibility of taking waters to distant areas which could have been
done 4 years ago.
<bold>In the valley drought and death has no response from the
government
</bold>The situation in the Narmada Valley too is full of challenges.
The drought has struck the valley too and the govts don_t have any plan
for the tribal communities, living on the banks, in the Satpudas, since
generations. In all the three states (there are hundreds of tribal
families in Gujarat villages too, who are either left out of
rehabilitation or cheated in resettlement and hence had to return back)
there are thousands who are determined not to move out for the ill
conceived project.
The drought has resulted in total failure of crop this year severe
sickness and even death toll. While this from time to time becomes
media-issue, all parties and politicians as also bureaucrats are
absolutely callous and non-responsive to NBA_s demands for employment
guaranteeing schemes of land, water and forest conservation. The
present government too has been no different than the ones in the
past.
<bold>Watershed Development: NBA_s alternative plans
</bold>After its first successful micro-hydel project in Domkhedi,
success in saving many chunks of good forest in Satpuda villages,
running Jeevanshalas (life schools) and a few small experiments in
water and energy, NBA is now to launch watershed development programs
beginning from the tribal villages in Maharashtra (Nandurbar) and
Madhya Pradesh (Jhabua) through the new organisational wing, Rewa Ke
Yuva (Youths of Narmada). Training by experts begins from Oct
15<smaller>th</smaller> to be immediately followed by action.
<bold>No land for rehabilitation....again proved
</bold>The M.P government_s claims in the affidavits filed before the
Supreme Court, of land availability for rehabilitation of 35,000 and
more affected families still in the SSP submergence area are proved
false time and again. Even after the hearings in the Court are over,
during our discussion with Digvijay Singh, the Chief Minister on Sept
5<smaller>th</smaller> with 2000 PAPs as witnesses and on Sept
20<smaller>th</smaller> he accepted with the Minister and officials of
Narmada Valley Development Authority that there is no cultivable land
available in M.P. for rehabilitation of SSP oustees. It is also clear
from the mess and murder in Narmada Sagar where one PAP on fast in
protest of the betrayal in the payment of compensation died recently.
In Maharashtra, with 3500 tribal PAPs occupying the Akkalkuva taluka
offices for two days on Sept 7<smaller>th</smaller> and
8<smaller>th</smaller>, officials couldn_t show the land for
rehabilitation. Later however, they swiftly sent notices to only 3
villages including Domkhedi, the stronghold of NBA asking them to come
and take the land. When village representatives with activists went to
see the same, officials conferred they had no cultivable land at the
claimed sites where there are already families suffering without land
being allotted.
With a major flaw of 3 meters in submergence level surveys found out by
an Engineering Consultant, ex-IITian, Dr. Ravi Kuchumanchi, the number
of PAPs will be much higher by escalate by thousands. NBA_s case before
the court has already pleaded with strong data base and analysis that 2
lakhs of people affected by canal, colony, sanctuary or downstream
impacts, not recognised as PAPs. There too will have to have
rehabilitation packages for as per recommendation by each of the Review
Committee, appointed by the World Bank and Govt of India.
With all this pending even after 20 years since decision on SSP was
made (1979) when 75% and more of the project-affected people are still
in the valley, some even after facing partial submergence , the total
lack of land-resource and capacity on the part of the govts to resolve
this massive human crisis as in resolving the national water crisis is
more than established. No compromise on any intermediate height that
would sacrifice the tribal region first and then the farming villages
in the fertile plains of M.P., even if secretly tried by M.P.,
Maharashtra and Gujarat govts hands-in-glove, will, therefore, be
acceptable to NBA. Let justice accrued, lest the poor - tribals and
dalits, peasants and labourers will lose all hope for survival.
<bold>(Medha Patkar)
<center>
</center></bold><center><bigger>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
</bigger><fontfamily><param>Comic_Sans_MS</param>When the earthworm and
her child were going from Kevadia to Manibeli, the child felt a bump.
"There, my dear", said the mother, "lies Sardar Sarovar dumped"
</fontfamily></center><flushright>~ Kersi Sabavala
</flushright><center>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
</center>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to majordomo@netvista.net
with no subject and the following text in the body of the message
"unsubscribe irn-narmada".
----- End of forwarded message from Medha Patkar -----