Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), India’s top anti-dam organization, has said that a major reason for Kerala floods was, water from 35 dams had to be discharged, affecting about 20 lakh people in 14 districts of the state. Estimating a loss of Rs 50,000 crore worth of public property, NBA in a statement added, “This horrific crisis of Kerala has once again brought the relationship between the dam and the flood onto the national platform.”
Pointing out that though rain to the tune of 3,000mm took place 1924, the tragedy of such immense proportion did not take place, NBA recalls, recently, the floods in Uttarakhand got accelerated because of the upstream dams. The same thing, it adds, happened during Surat floods in Gujarat because of release in water from the Ukai dam.
Seen in this context, NBA says, there is a need to “connect the reality of Narmada with the experience of Kerala”, wondering whether the authorities would understand how dark are the dark clouds hovering over Narmada. NBA says, while undertaking construction of the Narmada dam, “No scientific planning was undertaken by the Narmada Valley Development Authority and the Narmada Control Authority.”
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