Narmada Bachao Aandolan

8/4/2019 Narmada Bachao Aandolan

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Narmada Bachao Aandolan


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Dams are Temples of Modern India

-P.M. Jawahar Lal Nehru

A temple that symbolizes destruction is no temple!

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Sardar Sarovar Project 1961: Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone for

a 49.8 metre dam Sardar Sarovar Project(SSP)

1979: Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal increasedheight of SSP to 455 Ft (FRL)

Irrigation to 18000 sq km (Drought prone areas) Produce 1450 mega watts of electricity (high unmet demand)

Flood Protection to 210 villages and Bharuch city (Gujarat, ppl:4L)

Employ 1 million people

Domestic and Industrial Water for 30 million


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COSTS Financial Cost:

Present total cost - 45673.86 Cr

Estimated Cost by 2012 70000 Cr

Human Displacement Cost:

Displaces over 200,000 people (48304 families)

Environmental Cost:

Catchment Area treatment

Submergence of 13385.45 ha of forest land


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Narmada Bachao Aandolan Started in 1985 by Medha Patkar

Social Movement consisting of

Tribal people Farmers

Environmentalists

Human Rights Activists


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Objectives

Addressing issues of

Preservation of land and flora and fauna

Land for the displaced

Fair rehabilitation policy Compensated only for immediate standing crops

Sustainable Development (Energy and Water Strategy)

Improving Dry Farming Technology

Watershed Development

Small Dams

Schemes for Irrigation and Drinking Water

Improved efficiency and utilization of existing dams


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Means

Non Violence, Satyagrahas and Long Fasts

36 Day long solidarity march

In 1991, took a 22 day fast, almost took her life

Another fast in 1993 Filed petition in Court


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Other Supporters

Baba Amte Aamir Khan

Arundhati Roy

Groups such as Gujarat-based Arch-Vahini (Action Research in

Community Health and Development)

Narmada Asargrastha Samiti (Committee for peopleaffected by the Narmada dam)

Madhya Pradesh-based Narmada Ghati NavNirman Samiti (Committee for a new life in theNarmada Valley)

Maharashtra-based Narmada Dharangrastha Samiti(Committee for Narmada dam-affected people)


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Milestones

Exit of the World Bank from Sardar Sarovar in1994

Halt of Sardar Sarovar construction 1994-99

Withdrawal of foreign investors fromMaheshwar dam 1999-2001


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Sardar Sarovar Project effected approx 245 villages in

three states

Narmada Bachao Adolan voiced the concerns ofhundreds of thousands of people who are losing their

land ad livelihood to large dams The solidarity march led by Medha Patkar in 1991

symbolized the long path of struggle

NBA, a peoples movement has succeeded in

generating a debate across the sub continent whichhas encapsulated conflict between two opposingstyles of development

Appraisal


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The movement has rendered a yeomans service tothe country by creating a high level of awareness

The decade long struggle has resulted in suspensionof work on Sardar Sarovar Dam Project

Exposed the fraud in the environment compliancereports and massive corruption in rehabitilation

The movement compelled the world bank to conductits first independent review

Highlighted the fact that the project was takingmalaria to the doorsteps of the villagers.

Appraisal


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Criticism


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Perception: The dam will displace verylarge numbers of people, mainly

belonging to the weaker sections ofsociety, in a cruel manner

TRUTH

Most of R&R in Gujarat and Maharashtra successfullycompleted

The total submerged area will be only 1.65% of the totalirrigated area

In MP, adivasis represent about 30% of the PAFs,remaining practice relatively advanced agriculture in theNimar area

The productivity ratio between land lost and landprovided is estimated to be 1:8

P i Th R R li h


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Perception: The generous R&R policy thathas evolved is entirely due to the efforts of the

NBA

Truth

Current R&R policy is based primarily (a) the NWDTaward in 1979, and (b) the Gujarat govt.s R&R policy,

1987

NBAs anti-large-infra-projects ideologyadivasis arebest suited to subsistence-level existence in harmonywith nature

Undermined contribution of:WORLD BANK

ARCH vahini

Since 1989, Medha Patkar and the NBA have not made

any sincere efforts to improve R&R policy for SSP oustees


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Perception: The R&R policy is good onpaper, but the govt. is not serious about

actually implementing it

Truth

As per Center for Social Studies Surat, despitehiccups, R&R generally been carried outsuccessfully in Gujarat.

ARCH Vahini (and other NGOs) played a very

constructive role in LPC committees but NBAtook extreme ideological stand

The Taloda forest land incidence - NBAsmanipulation of tribal demands and aspiration

P ti Th NBA t l t th
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Perception: The NBA truly represents thepoor, mainly dalits and adivasis living in the

valley

Truth

In MP, about 70% of the PAFs are non-adivasi

Supporters : Prosperous land-owning Patidarcaste

R&R as a chance to become landowners

Landless labourers (40% of a village) such asKadmal, and SC/ST tribes markedly absent fromthe protests and from the ranks of local [NBA]activists


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BENEFITS of SSP Irrigation to be provided to 1,792,000 hectares of

land spread over 12 districts, 62 talukas and 3,393villages

Water to 75% of drought-prone areas of Gujarat and73,000 hectares in the arid areas of Barmer andJalore districts of Rajasthan

Irrigation Benefiting more than 5 million people

Drinking Water facilities to 8,215 villages and 135

urban centers in Gujarat

Total benefiting 25-30 million people

Peak power generation of 1450 MW

Narmada Bachao Aandolan

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