National conference On “Are Big Dams Obsolete in Modern India?”

Dams for Power and Water Management: Experience, Justice and Sustainability
September 29 – 30, 2016 | Indore, Madhya Pradesh
 
AN INVITATION
 
"Current flood like situation in 12 districts including Patna has been caused by huge siltation in river Ganga. This situation is result of silt being deposited in Ganga due to construction of Farakka dam in West Bengal. The only way to remove silt from the river is to remove the Farakka dam. If the Centre has any other option (other than removing the dam), then it should start working for silt removal from the river bed."
Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister, Bihar, August 21, 2016 
 
“Bhakra Nangal Project is something tremendous, something stupendous, something which shakes you up when you see it. Bhakra, the new temple of resurgent India, is the symbol of India's progress.”
 
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, during the dedication of the Bhakra dam to the nation. 22 October 1963
 
Big dams and the large reservoirs usually associated with these have evoked a variety of responses from different 'stakeholders'. The governments and the proponents have advanced the logic that these provide multiple benefits in terms of vitally needed irrigation, 'clean' electricity and sometimes - flood control services.  On the other hand, millions of people displaced - forcibly or by inducements, conservationists with concerns for forests and biodiversity, and people and groups concerned with basic rights and democratic norms - have repeatedly pointed out the large scale human tragedy brought on by these big dams and the larger reservoirs, by submerging tens of thousands of acres of fertile farmland, thousands of homes and habitations by each of these mega dams, and the ensuing violations of the fundamental human rights of those severely affected.
 
Government reports and Judicial Judgments in itself proves that dams are one of the root cause of the disasters that are happening in India and there was an increase in the devastation at the time of the disaster that took place in 2013 in Uttarkhand. The financial institutions, national and international, have often found these big projects a 'good long term investment', as the 'designed life' of most of these are said to be close to a century.  And in the last decade or so, many concerned with the threat of climate change from large scale fossil fuel burning for energy, have been projecting these as sources of 'clean energy', though the question of their emission of the greenhouse gas methane (from the submerged biomass, through anoxic decomposition), which is anywhere between 70-90 times as potent as carbon dioxide in the shorter term, has not been fully investigated or settled. 
 
Big dams in India (currently at 4877 with 313 more under construction, according to Central Water Commission) have traditionally been designed and build with the three major objectives of irrigation (with the logic that nearly 58% of Indian farm land is still un-irrigated), flood-control and power generation.  The first two requires large water holding capacity, thus necessarily submerging large areas of forests and fertile farmlands along with villages and even towns (Sardar Sarovar on Narmada, Tehri of Bhagirathi, Hirakud on Mahanadi etc). Of late, with the Indian economy focusing more on providing for the rising power demands of big industries and urban centres, the trend has turned somewhat, and more of so-called Run of the River projects are being constructed, with comparatively lower submergence and targeted primarily towards power generation (Nathpa-Jhakri, Karchham-Wangtoo, Baglihar, Dharasu etc.). The installed capacity of hydro-power in India has reached 42,800 MW (roughly 14% of the total installed electricity capacity in India of 304,000 MW), with tens of thousands of MW under construction / advanced planning. Getting the bigger 'gravitational head' or the height difference of intake and discharge of water, meant that these are targeting the mountainous areas with high gradients, increasingly - the Himalayas. This have caused additional complexities of submerging pristine forests and farm land where little such exists, inducing frequent and large landslides by the change of the moisture regime, sometimes inducing earthquakes by the enormous gravitational load on highly seismic geological terrain, and creating conditions for higher moisture-rainfall envelope in fragile mountain slopes.
 
These multiple debates and contestations around big dams have been intensifying, with governments pushing them with renewed vigour, the big financial institutions coming back with renewed interest, and the millions of impacted people and communities fighting back with rights arguments, environmental logic, detailed studies and ground level resistance.  At this juncture, it is important that we examine the issues more deeply and in the perspective of evolving scenario in India.  With that objective, we are inviting a host of 'experts', ground level groups, concerned academics etc., to this two-day conference -- to deliberate, analyse and come out with a better understanding for further actions.
 
In this two-day conference, we plan to deliberate on the five areas, as detailed below - 
  1.  Big dams and Irrigation,
  2.  Big dams and hydro-power,
  3.  Big dams and flood-control / disasters,
  4.  Social and environmental impacts of big dams,
  5.  The economic logic of big dams
  6.  Related Legislations
 
Please do block your dates and plan to join in this important initiative. Your contribution will be keenly looked forward to. We are not in a position to pay for your travel expenses but will arrange for the stay and food in Indore. Please plan to reach in morning of September 29^th or 28^th night and leave by 30^th September evening.
 
VENUE: Satprakashan Kendra, Bhavar Kuan Chauraha , Khandwa Road trip Indore Madhya Pradesh | Amulya Nidhi -9425311547 (Distance from Indore Railway station is 4.6 km and from Indore Airport is 11 km)
 
Organisers :National Alliance of Peoples' Movements, Beyond Copenhagen Collective, Delhi Solidarity Group, Matu Jansangathan, Lokmaitri, Manthan Adhyan Kendra and Indore Samarthak Samooh
 
We look forward to being with you in Indore on September 29-30, 2016.
With warm regards,
Vimal Bhai                             Soumya Dutta                         Madhuresh Kumar
Matu Jansangathan                      BCPH                                            NAPM
 
Gautam Kothari                             Rehmat                         Amulya Nidhi
Lok Maitri                       Manthan Adhyan Kendra               Indore Samarthak Samooh
 

For further details, please contact :Himshi Singh| himshi@napm-india.org | 9867348307  -- --
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