Skip to main content

Cancel all dam projects on Ganga to avoid 2013-type flooding in Uttarkhand: Govt of India committee told

By Our Representative
In an event, which is being interpreted by Uttarakhand civil society as suggesting how the Government of India is not serious about preserving Ganga as a national river, a five-person official committee on December 10 reached Devpryag to assess the impact of dams on the river, without allegedly providing any proper information about its proposed visit.
Activists of Matu Jansangathan, a grassroots organization, said, while local people were summarily ignored about the decision of the committee to reach Devprayag, local contractors were all present for consultation. 
It is at Devprayag that Bhagirathi and Alaknanda meet, leading to the formation of Ganga as national river.
Though reaching late, representatives of the Matu Jansangathan managed put forward their demand complete ban on proposed dams on Ganga, including cancellation of 24 hydropower projects.
Pointing out that there is no need for rethinking, a petition handed over to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) committee gave the example of how the Srinagar dam of Uttarkhand was responsible for massive floods in June 2013.
When committee members asked people about their grievances regarding dams, Rajendra Negi and Sudershan Sah of Matu Jansangthan pointed towards why big dams should not be built, giving the example of the impact of the already constructed dams.
A group of people from Srinagar, arguing against big dams on Ganga, argued that any obstruction on the river would also impact the cultural and religious significance of the river.
Matu Jansangathan activists noted how they came to know from a local Hindi newspaper on December 9 on the proposed visit of the committee. However, they regretted, no prior information was provided about the proposed dams on the river to the local people.
An activist insisted, “Uttarakhand is the maternal home of Gangaji, and the authorities neglected the possible impact of dams, resulting in the 2013 calamity. Due to dams over on the tributaries of the Ganga the disaster level in 2013 disaster increased drastically.”
Giving the example of Vishnuprayag dam, which led to the submergence of seven villages downstream during the 2013 flooding, the activist said, “It caused damage of two bridges on river Alaknanda, one leading to Badrinath and another to Hemkund Sahib.”
It was also suggested how, because of the dams being constructed on Mahamaheshwar and Kali rivers, the whole Mandakini Valley is facing problem of landslides. The same situation has taken shape in Bhagirathi Valley, it was added.
The petition to the MoEFCC said that recent years people have had to be vacated because of the unannounced water released from Tehri dam. In 2016 one Sadhu Gopal Maniji organized Gau-Ganga katha at Triveni Ghat in Rishikesh. Sudden release of water left them almost dead; somehow the local administration saved their life.
Pointing out that people in the region are living an insecure region, the petition gave examples of frequent landslides adjacent to the Kotli Bhel project; in one incident, National Hydro Power Corporation’s (NHPC’s) office got damaged.
A Matu Jansangathan statement said, “It seems that MoEFCC is not taking the impact of dam on Ganga seriously, which is very much clear through the manner in which the committee reached Devprayag to make its assessment.”

Comments

TRENDING

Reducing emission? India among top nations whose coal as energy source going up

By NS Venkataraman*  The State of the Global Climate report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed that the year 2023 was the warmest year on record, with the global temperature of 1.4 degree celsius above pre-industrial 1850-1900 base line.

Lockdown 'total failure' of science more than of politics: Open letter on 4th anniversary

Counterview Desk  In an open letter to fellow academicians, scientists and medical practitioners in India, marking the fourth anniversary of India's lockdown (25 March 2024), the Managing Committee* of the Universal Health Organisation (UHO) has insisted on the need to "repair two years of immense damage to science".

Insider plot to kill Deendayal Upadhyay? What RSS pracharak Balraj Madhok said

By Shamsul Islam*  Balraj Madhok's died on May 2, 2016 ending an era of old guards of Hindutva politics. A senior RSS pracharak till his death was paid handsome tributes by the RSS leaders including PM Modi, himself a senior pracharak, for being a "stalwart leader of Jan Sangh. Balraj Madhok ji's ideological commitment was strong and clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation and society. I had the good fortune of interacting with Balraj Madhok ji on many occasions". The RSS also issued a formal condolence message signed by the Supremo Mohan Bhagwat on behalf of all swayamsevaks, referring to his contribution of commitment to nation and society. He was a leading RSS pracharak on whom his organization relied for initiating prominent Hindutva projects. But today nobody in the RSS-BJP top hierarchy remembers/talks about Madhok as he was an insider chronicler of the immense degeneration which was spreading as an epidemic in the high echelons of th

Magnetic, stunning, Protima Bedi 'exposed' malice of sexual repression in society

By Harsh Thakor*  Protima Bedi was born to a baniya businessman and a Bengali mother as Protima Gupta in Delhi in 1949. Her father was a small-time trader, who was thrown out of his family for marrying a dark Bengali women. The theme of her early life was to rebel against traditional bondage. It was extraordinary how Protima underwent a metamorphosis from a conventional convent-educated girl into a freak. On October 12th was her 75th birthday; earlier this year, on August 18th it was her 25th death anniversary.

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

'Wrong direction': Paris NGO regrets MNC ArcelorMittal still using coal-based steel

By Rajiv Shah  A new report by Paris-based non-governmental research and campaigning organization, Reclaim Finance, has blamed the MNC ArcelorMittal – formed in 2006 following the takeover and merger of the western European steel maker Arcelor (Spain, France, and Luxembourg) by Indian-owned Mittal Steel – for using use “climate destructive” metallurgical coal for its projects in India.

'Flawed' argument: Gandhi had minimal role, naval mutinies alone led to Independence

Counterview Desk Reacting to a Counterview  story , "Rewiring history? Bose, not Gandhi, was real Father of Nation: British PM Attlee 'cited'" (January 26, 2016), an avid reader has forwarded  reaction  in the form of a  link , which carries the article "Did Atlee say Gandhi had minimal role in Independence? #FactCheck", published in the site satyagrahis.in. The satyagraha.in article seeks to debunk the view, reported in the Counterview story, taken by retired army officer GD Bakshi in his book, “Bose: An Indian Samurai”, which claims that Gandhiji had a minimal role to play in India's freedom struggle, and that it was Netaji who played the crucial role. We reproduce the satyagraha.in article here. Text: Nowadays it is said by many MK Gandhi critics that Clement Atlee made a statement in which he said Gandhi has ‘minimal’ role in India's independence and gave credit to naval mutinies and with this statement, they concluded the whole freedom struggle.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Attack on foreign students: Gujarat varsity's reputation, ranking at stake, say academics

Counterview Desk  Expressing anguish over the attack on international students in Gujarat University hostels, a letter claimed to have been signed by 122 current and former academics has asked the Gujarat Vice Chancellor, Dr Neerja Gupta, to provide emotional support to the attacked students and to ensure their physical safety.  

As double engine takes backseat in Odisha, BJP is pitted against 'firmly rooted' BJD

By Sudhansu R Das  BJP has got 25 years to build its party base in Odisha. After 25 years, it felt helpless and insecure to fight elections on its own strength. The party was almost crazy to have an alliance with the ruling BJD in Odisha.  Looking for alliance at the time of election shows that the party has not groomed its grassroots level workers into potential leaders.  The state BJP leaders woke up and convinced the Central leaders that they are capable of going solo; the alliance was stillborn. The question is can BJP defeat BJD which is firmly rooted in Odisha after launching piles of populist programs in the state.