Destructive hydro-power projects, mining, oil extraction, pollution continue to choke rivers

Statement on this year’s International Day of Action for Rivers by the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), a global network of Indigenous Peoples rights activists, advocates, and organizations committed to advancing the rights of indigenous peoples to self determination, land and life:

***

Great rivers gave birth to ancient civilizations and today, they hold the key to a future with rich water biodiversity, energy sources, food and livelihood. Free-flowing rivers are one with the identity, traditional wisdom, culture and territories of Indigenous Peoples.
Let us remember that this day is born out of the struggle of water defenders everywhere. This day is when dam affected indigenous communities and peoples raise their voices in unison against destructive projects, to reclaim the health of waters, and demand equitable and sustainable future of rivers.
This day is also a day to honor the many heroes and martyrs who lay their lives in defense of rivers and indigenous peoples’ rights.
And the fight is not over. Destructive hydro-power projects, mining, oil extraction and pollution continue to choke our rivers.
Capitalist powers, international finance institutions, extractive businesses, transnational corporations and the governments continue to be the biggest problems of rivers. And for what? For selfish interests and superprofits. We can hear the same lies of “clean energy” and greenwashing about mega-dams and giant hydro power projects.
The false narratives of so-called development of rivers drowns not only our ecosystem, biodiversity, indigenous communities dependent on the rivers but also our future. The profit-oriented power and water sourcing can never hide behind the irreversible damage and climate crisis contribution of mega-dams, extractives and corporate industries.
Massive human rights violations, forced displacement and relocation, criminalization, militarization and killings with impunity became the norm for those defending their rights and their rivers. Justice and accountability remains elusive while dissent and resistance in defense of rivers become death sentences.
But the fight for the future of our rivers will flow. We deserve people controlled sustainable water and energy sources free from onerous loans and debts. At the center of river management is democratic participation and protection of our planet. Our rivers and resources must benefit community and local development, not the interest of the imperialist and few elites.
We are linking together in reclaiming our rivers in the fight for our future. Defend our rivers, uphold Indigenous Peoples rights over their lands and waters.
It’s time to moratorium on all destructive hydro power and mining projects affecting our rivers.
Let’s demand for justice and reparations for all the communities and water defenders victims of rights violations by government forces and corporations.
A brighter alternative is possible in a sustainable, free and just world away from the current world order that puts profit over people.
#FightForOurRivers!
#Fight4OurFuture!

Comments

Covishield controversy: How India ignored a warning voice during the pandemic

Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD * It is a matter of pride for us that a person of Indian origin, presently Director of National Institute of Health, USA, is poised to take over one of the most powerful roles in public health. Professor Jay Bhattacharya, an Indian origin physician and a health economist, from Stanford University, USA, will be assuming the appointment of acting head of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA. Bhattacharya would be leading two apex institutions in the field of public health which not only shape American health policies but act as bellwether globally.

When a lake becomes real estate: The mismanagement of Hyderabad’s waterbodies

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava* Misunderstood, misinterpreted and misguided governance and management of urban lakes in India —illustrated here through Hyderabad —demands urgent attention from Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), the political establishment, the judiciary, the builder–developer lobby, and most importantly, the citizens of Hyderabad. Fundamental misconceptions about urban lakes have shaped policies and practices that systematically misuse, abuse and ultimately erase them—often in the name of urban development.

Growth without justice: The politics of wealth and the economics of hunger

By Vikas Meshram* In modern history, few periods have displayed such a grotesque and contradictory picture of wealth as the present. On one side, a handful of individuals accumulate in a single year more wealth than the annual income of entire nations. On the other, nearly every fourth person in the world goes to bed hungry or half-fed.

'Serious violation of international law': US pressure on Mexico to stop oil shipments to Cuba

By Vijay Prashad In January 2026, US President Donald Trump declared Cuba to be an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US security—a designation that allows the United States government to use sweeping economic restrictions traditionally reserved for national security adversaries. The US blockade against Cuba began in the 1960s, right after the Cuban Revolution of 1959 but has tightened over the years. Without any mandate from the United Nations Security Council—which permits sanctions under strict conditions—the United States has operated an illegal, unilateral blockade that tries to force countries from around the world to stop doing basic commerce with Cuba. The new restrictions focus on oil. The United States government has threatened tariffs and sanctions on any country that sells or transports oil to Cuba.

When grief becomes grace: Kerala's quiet revolution in organ donation

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Kerala is an important model for understanding India's diversity precisely because the religious and cultural plurality it has witnessed over centuries brought together traditions and good practices from across the world. Kerala had India's first communist government, was the first state where a duly elected government was dismissed, and remains the first state to achieve near-total literacy. It is also a land where Christianity and Islam took root before they spread to Europe and other parts of the world. Kerala has deep historic rationalist and secular traditions.

Thali, COVID and academic credibility: All about the 2020 'pseudoscientific' Galgotias paper

By Jag Jivan The first page image of the paper "Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis" published in the Journal of Molecular Pharmaceuticals and Regulatory Affairs , Vol. 2, Issue 2 (2020), has gone viral on social media in the wake of the controversy surrounding a Chinese robot presented by the Galgotias University as its original product at the just-concluded AI summit in Delhi . The resurfacing of the 2020 publication, authored by Dharmendra Kumar , Galgotias University, has reignited debate over academic standards and scientific credibility.

Bangladesh goes to polls as press freedom concerns surface

By Nava Thakuria* As Bangladesh heads for its 13th Parliamentary election and a referendum on the July National Charter simultaneously on Thursday (12 February 2026), interim government chief Professor Muhammad Yunus has urged all participating candidates to rise above personal and party interests and prioritize the greater interests of the Muslim-majority nation, regardless of the poll outcomes.

The Galgotia model: How India is losing the war on knowledge

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Galgotia is the face of 'quality education' as envisioned by those who never considered education a tool for social change or national uplift — and yet this is precisely the model Narendra Modi pursued in Gujarat as Chief Minister. In the mid-eighties, when many of us were growing up, 'Nirma' became one of the most popular advertisements on Doordarshan. Whether the product was any good hardly seemed to matter.

Beyond the conflict: Experts outline roadmap for humane street dog solutions

By A Representative In a direct response to the rising polarization surrounding India’s street dog population, a high-level coalition of parliamentarians, legal experts, and civil society leaders gathered in the capital to propose a unified national framework for humane animal management. The emergency deliberations were sparked by a recent Suo Moto judgment that has significantly deepened the divide between animal welfare advocates and those calling for the removal of community dogs, a tension that has recently escalated into reported violence against both animals and their caretakers in states like Telangana.

Search This Blog