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DAM-L BBC on Narmada
http://news6.thdo.bbc.co.uk/low/english/world/south_asia/newsid_990000/990173.stm
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BBC News Online: World: South Asia
Wednesday, 25 October, 2000, 14:30 GMT 15:30 UK
Protest against India dam ruling
Anti-dam activists in India have stepped up their campaign against the construction of a controversial dam.
India's Supreme Court recently ruled in favour of the Sardar Sarovar dam over the Narmada river, allowing its stalled
construction to go ahead.
The judgement of the so-called minority clearly directed that the dam work should be stopped
Narmada Bachao Andolan's Medha Patkar
Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save The Narmada), which has been leading protests against the dam, has
begun a five-day hunger strike against the ruling.
"The Supreme Court judgement is divided," Ms Patkar, who leads the movement, told the BBC.
"The judgement of the so-called minority clearly directed that the dam work should be stopped and the clearance that was given
was faulty," she said, referring to the 2 to 1 ruling in favour of the dam's construction.
Narmada facts
Project began in 1979
3,200 dams to be built along the 1,200 km Narmada river
Said to benefit Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat
Opponents say it will displace 200,000 people and damage ecology
World Bank withdrew funding in 1993
Expected to be fully complete by 2025
The multi-billion dollar Narmada project was launched in 1979 and envisages the construction of some 3,200 small, medium
and large dams on the Narmada river.
The Narmada originates in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and empties into the Arabian Sea after flowing through
Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The Sardar Sarovar is the biggest dam on the river and its construction has been fiercely opposed.
The Narmada Bachao Andolan says the project will displace 200,000 people in these three states, apart from damaging the
region's fragile ecology.
Row over height
A contentious issue is the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam. Its proposed height was 130m, but anti-dam activists do not want
the dam to be higher than 88m.
Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that the height of the dam could be raised to 90m but no higher, until cleared by an
environmental authority appointed to undertake the task.
Ms Patkar told newspersons in Madhya Pradesh's capital, Bhopal, that the Supreme Court decision to raise the height would
affect millions of tribals living in the area.
"The president of India and the governor of the state have a right under Section 5 of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution to
cancel any government decision to protect tribals," she said.
Supporters of the dam say it would provide large amounts of electricity and water to drought prone areas, particularly in
Gujarat.
Related to this story:
Protest against controversial dam (23 Oct 00 | South Asia) Go-ahead for India dam project (18 Oct 00 | South Asia) Author
released after dam protest (12 Jan 00 | South Asia) Narmada: A history of controversy (29 Jul 99 | South Asia) Narmada: The
threat to local villages (29 Jul 99 | South Asia) Sardar Sarovar dam: At what price progress? (23 Mar 98 | Water Week)
Internet links: Arundhati Roy on Narmada River | Environmental Defence Fund on the Sardar Sarovar Dam | International
Rivers network | Friends of Narmada River |
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