Q. Examine critically the relevance of movements against multipurpose Projects in India. [41 BPSC/1997]

Q. Examine critically the relevance of movements against multipurpose Projects in India. [41 BPSC/1997] ©crackingcivilservices.com

Ans:
Multipurpose river projects refers to the building of large dams where the many uses of the impounded water are integrated with one another. e.g. for generating hydro-electricity and for supplying water for irrigation, industrial and domestic purposes.

Multi-purpose projects, launched after Independence with their integrated water resources management approach, were thought of as the vehicle that would lead the nation to development and progress, overcoming the handicap of its colonial past. Jawaharlal Nehru proudly proclaimed the dams as the ‘temples of modern India’; the reason being that it would integrate development of agriculture and the village economy with rapid industrialisation and growth of the urban economy.

The prime objectives of the river valley projects are to control flood, check soil erosion, provide water for irrigation, electricity generation etc.

Some of the multipurpose Projects in India are Bhakra-Nangal on river Sutlej (the highest straight gravity dam in the world), Chambal Valley Project(joint undertaking by the Rajasthan and M.P. governments), Farakka Barrage, Gandak Project, Sardar Sarovar Project etc.

In recent years, multi-purpose projects and large dams have come under great scrutiny and opposition for a variety of reasons. Some of the major movements against the multipurpose projects in India are the ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’, and the ‘Tehri Dam Andolan’ etc. These movements are organised by native population, farmers, environmentalists and human rights activists etc. The mode of campaign under NBA includes court actions, hunger strikes, rallies and gathering support from notable film and art personalities.

The relevance of movements against multipurpose Projects in India:

• Affect the local population:
  • Resistance to these projects has primarily been due to the large-scale displacement of local communities. Local people often had to give up their land, livelihood and their meagre access and control over resources for the greater good of the nation.
• Opaque execution and neglecting people’s voice
  • For example, in Sardar Sarovar Dam, the people who were going to be affected by the construction of the dam were given no information but the offer for rehabilitation.
  • Villagers weren’t consulted and weren’t asked for a feedback on the assessment that had taken place. Furthermore, the officials related to the project had not even checked the land records and updated them.
  • While World Bank, the financing agency for this project, came into the picture, Patkar approached the Ministry of Environment to seek clarifications. She realized, after seeking answers from the ministry, that the project was not sanctioned at all and wondered as to how funds were even sanctioned by the World Bank. After several studies, they realized that the officials had overlooked the post project problems.
  • However, the Sardar Sarovar Dam was finally inaugurated in 2017 by the current Prime Minister.
• Adverse environmental impact:
  • Regulating and damming of rivers affect their natural flow causing poor sediment flow and excessive sedimentation at the bottom of the reservoir, resulting in rockier stream beds and poorer habitats for the rivers’ aquatic life.
  • Dams also fragment rivers making it difficult for aquatic fauna to migrate, especially for spawning. The reservoirs that are created on the floodplains also submerge the existing vegetation and soil leading to its decomposition over a period of time.
  • Degradation of soil content arising out of waterlogging and soil salinity in its command areas.
  • Irrigation has also changed the cropping pattern of many regions with farmers shifting to water intensive and commercial crops. This has great ecological consequences like salinisation of the soil.
  • Sedimentation also meant that the flood plains were deprived of silt, a natural fertiliser, further adding on to the problem of land degradation.
• Social impact:
  • At the same time, it has transformed the social landscape i.e. increasing the social gap between the richer landowners and the landless poor.
  • As we can see, the dams did create conflicts between people wanting different uses and benefits from the same water resources.
  • In Gujarat, the Sabarmati-basin farmers were agitated and almost caused a riot over the higher priority given to water supply in urban areas, particularly during droughts.
• Exaggerated Benefits on Irrigation:
  • It has been argued that irrigation benefits derived out of multi-purpose projects are exaggerated because the actual area irrigated by these projects is much less due to delay in the construction of field channels and water routes. Moreover delay in completion of these projects has resulted in high escalation of its cost.
• Causes disasters:
  • Flood: Ironically, the dams that were constructed to control floods have triggered floods due to sedimentation in the reservoir. Moreover, the big dams have mostly been unsuccessful in controlling floods at the time of excessive rainfall. The sudden release of water from dams creates flooding in lower regions.
    • In 2018 severe flood in Kerala was due to inefficient dam management and outdated dams.
    • In geologically unstable areas, development of large dams can destabilise the land. The 2013 Uttarakhand Floods triggered a debate on whether the hydro-power projects operational in Uttarakhand were responsible for the floods that killed more than 1000 people.
  • Earthquake: It was also observed that the multi-purpose projects induced earthquakes.
    • The 1967 Koynanagar earthquake occurred near the site of Koyna dam in Maharashtra. Magnitude of magnitude was 6.6 and around 175–180 were dead while thousands were injured.
  • It has also caused water-borne diseases and pests and pollution resulting from excessive use of water.
• Management of big dams is also being done at exorbitant financial and ecological costs.
• Inter-state water disputes are also becoming common with regard to sharing the costs and benefits of the multipurpose projects.

Critics of these movements argue that dam’s benefits include provision of drinking water, power generation and irrigation facilities.Some also believe that these campaigns cause the delay and obstruction in the completion of the projects. Some other argue that these protesters are little more than environmental extremists.

However, the objection against these projects are serious. Most of the objections to the projects arose due to their failure to achieve the purposes for which they were built. The concerns of the local people must be address and projects should progress in a transparent manner. It will build trust among people. Further, both environmental and social impact assessment should be undertaken with people participation before beginning the project. ©crackingcivilservices.com
Recent days, experts have made cases for the decentralised micro dams against large dams. The decision should be based of adequate cost and benefits analysis not only in economic terms but also in social and environmental terms. ©crackingcivilservices.com