August 2008 Edition
Civil Society News
New Delhi
On June 13 when Dr GD Agrawal, the eminent 76-year-old environmental scientist started a fast unto death to protest indiscriminate dam building on the Bhagirathi Ganga river, many wondered whether his gesture would be in vain. The government, by and large, turns a deaf ear to such protests. Two groups, who could not be more unlike each other, took up the cause. The Alumni Association of IIT Kanpur and the All India Association of Sadhus met the Union Government and lobbied with the state government of Uttarakhand. And, surprisingly, Dr Agrawal scored a major victory. Both the Union government and the state government of Uttarakhand responded promptly. Work on three dam projects on the Bhagirathi river upstream of Uttarkashi was suspended.
The Centre and State promised to maintain the perennial flow of the river under all circumstances. The Centre also agreed to appoint a ‘high level’ committee to study the impact of stream flow and its abstraction on local ecology and environment. Two of the three proposed projects on the Bhagirathi, the Bhairav Ghati of 381 MW and Pala Maneri of 480 MW, are state initiatives. In fact, Rs 80 crore has already been spent on the Pala Maneri project. The third – a 600 MW unit at Lohari Nagpala – is a central government effort. The ‘high level’ committee has been appointed. It has seven members and three permanent invitees. The committee has been given a deadline of three months to send in its report. But progress has been slow.
Dr Ravi Chopra, director of the Peoples’ Science Institute, Dehradun, who is a member, points out that the committee is not high powered since there isn’t a single expert on the subject in the country. Meanwhile, Dr GD Agrawal has taken a pledge to shun food grains during this three month period and eat only fruits. The decision of the Central government and the state government of Uttarakhand to suspend work on the three projects is a major victory. Dr. Agarwal and his colleagues are planning to raise public awareness about the ecological frailty of the Himalayan region and the importance of maintaining the flow of all of India’s rivers. The group led by Dr. Agarwal feels that local mobilisation and awareness is necessary to ensure that this is achieved. The success of Dr Agrawal’s protest indicates the strength of rational arguments.
He used his technical background and knowledge to critique the projects and predict their impact on river systems. In the paper, “A Critique of Loharinag- ala, Pala-Maneri and other Hydroelectric Projects on R.Bhagirathi”, Dr. Agrawal cited ample scientific data questioning the net economic, ecological and human value of these dam projects. He also made it clear that he sincerely believed such projects would destroy the Ganga, an iconic symbol of India that is revered by millions of Hindus.
By offering his life, Dr. Agrawal challenged us to critically examine not only the threat to the Ganga, but also the present mode of development that threatens our natural resources and promises nothing more than the skewed economic growth that enriches a few at the expense of the vast majority. We need to initiate a national debate on which path of development we should choose. Development must draw on our own experiences and be rooted in our civilisation. Numerous energy projects have been started or have been proposed on the Bhagirathi, Ganga and other rivers that define the Gangetic plain. While energy is a real issue and must be addressed, the human, economic and environmental costs of killing our rivers outweigh energy benefits.
Inputs from: www.thesouthasian.org
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