Need to connect reality of Narmada with Kerala experience: NBA

By A Representative
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.”

Comments

Beyond the 'silent relocation' narrative in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts

By Dr. Mohammad Asaduzzaman* In recent years, a narrative has emerged from the rugged and forested terrain of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), portraying the region as the site of a “silent relocation” — a mass forced migration of Bangladesh’s non-Muslim ethnic communities into neighboring India and Myanmar.

Ram, Bam and Bengal: Memories of a Left turn toward the Right

By Rajiv Shah The BJP ’s massive electoral win in West Bengal is being interpreted across political persuasions — except, of course, by the BJP itself — as the result of the alleged deletion of around 90 lakh voters from the electoral rolls during the controversial intensive revision process. This may well be true, given my own experience in Gujarat regarding the shoddy manner in which electoral revisions have often been conducted. In West Bengal, there also appeared to be a political angle to the exercise. But I am not interested in discussing that here, as enough has already appeared in the media on the subject.

India's housing boom hits a wall: Prices soar, buyers struggle

By Rajiv Shah India's residential real estate market recorded near-flat growth in the January–March quarter of 2026, with sales volumes dipping year-on-year even as property prices hit a historic milestone — crossing ₹10,000 per square foot for the first time.

Counterview

Search This Blog