April
2001
Update
on Narmada Dam Projects
By Samantha Knowlden
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In April 2000, Satya reported that anti-dam
activists from the Narmada Valley in India had won a major victory.
The Supreme Court of India had ordered a halt to construction on
the
Sardar Sarovar Project, India’s largest dam, so that the government’s
plan to resettle thousands of local residents could be investigated.
However, last October, the Supreme Court found that the government’s
resettlement efforts were adequate and ruled that construction could
resume immediately. In addition, the Court authorized further construction
up to the originally planned height of 138 meters in five-meter increments
subject to approval from a group overseeing resettlement. Dam supporters
celebrated the news and construction began immediately, while activists
once again faced the threat of the rising waters pushing them from
their
homes and farms.
According to February reports in the Times of India, however, the current
plan to raise the Narmada dam another five-meter increment—to a
total of 95 meters—will be delayed at least eight months because
the state of Madhya Pradesh cannot afford the cost of the resettlement
of 1,120 families. Recovery from the recent earthquake in India is
draining
funds from the state of Gujarat, also preventing it from accomplishing
the necessary resettlement of over 1,000 families in order to move
ahead
with the construction of the dam. Similar difficulties may occur when
they try to raise the dam up to 100 meters since it will displace another
2,500 families.
The Narmada valley is reported to be seismically active and in light
of the recent earthquakes, critics of the dam projects are questioning
the safety and economic risks of continuing construction. A seismic
expert appointed by the Indian government reported in 1995 that the
Narmada valley is reactivating and not only are the dams at risk but
the dams may also cause earthquakes. This phenomenon, believed to be
caused by the added weight of the huge dams and reservoirs, is known
as “reservoir induced seismicity” and over 100 cases have
been documented worldwide.
In January, the Friends of the Narmada River reported a victory for
people affected by the Maheshwar Hydro-Electric project being built
on the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh. Eight thousand protesters were
joined by representatives from trade unions and organizations from
around
India as they celebrated the withdrawl of Ogden, a U.S. power utility
from the project. Ogden had signed a Memorandum of Intent in March
2000
to invest 49 percent of the Project’s equity and become half owners.
Similarly, in August 2000, following a very critical report on the
status
of the resettlement in the valley, a major loan from a private German
bank also fell through leaving project officials scrambling for backers.
