Matu People's Organization

8/8/2019 Matu People's Organization

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Matu Peoples' OrganisationOur soil, Our heritage

Working in Uttarakhand, on the rights of people and the environment.

The Displacement of people is snatching their water,forest, and land.

Sustainable development is incomplete withoutenvironmental conservation and it becomes impossible

with human displacement.

matujan.blogspot.com


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Why Dams?

According toSout h Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (www.sandrp.in) :-

-I n India, 5100 big dams have led to the displacement of 5.50 crore people.- 4 528 dams have caused the submergence of around 44lakh hectare land.

-47% of all persons displaced by dams are tribals.-E ven after an investment of more than Rs. two lakh crores, neither has power been

generated nor irrigation taken place in accordance with the declared claims.

Every year in India -

Approx. 30 % of the electricity is lost during transmission.Dams have led to an increase in food grain production by only 10 %Rats eat 10 % of the food grain produced.


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Wh at are big dams?

According toCentral Water Commission of India

andThe International Commission on Large Dams

World Commission on DamsThe following fall in t he categor y of big dams:

Dams higher than 15 meters in height from the foundation

Dams with the height of 5 to 15 metres whose water storage capacity ismore than 30 lakh cubic metres.

Dams which have the irrigation capacity of 10,000 hectare.


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Two kind of Hydro-Electric Projects

in t he Ganga Valle y


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In this type of a project a reservoir is built by

damming across the river. The difference isthat in this kind of a dam the water of thereservoir is taken through a straight tunnels

cut into the mountain. After a distance of many kilometers, this water is dropped froma height on to the turbines and electricity is

produced.

Tunnel Hydroelectric ProjectsOR

Run-of- the river Hydroelectric Projects


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Dams on t heRiverBh agirat h i.


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Environmental PublicHearings h aveproven to be a farce!


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In Run -off - the River projects, apart from land that is submerged, it is alsoused to make residential colonies for the project proponents. Further,project proponents don t give back land used for labour colonies etc.


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Dams have caused the permanent destruction of forests inUttarakhand.


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According to an estimate, tunnels under -construction for hydro electricprojects are hollowing the mountains in Uttarakhand up to an extent of

nearly 1500 km in length.


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Only 7% cultivable land remains in the mountainous regions. The landnear the river bank is often the most fertile land. Dams either submerge

this land, or put it to related purposes, such as residential colonies foremployees etc.


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B ecause of diminishing agriculture, organic fertilizerproduction is threatened.


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River banks have become precarious in the whole state of Uttarakhand.River water is released at unpredictable times for electricity production,

this makes the water current in the river very uncertain.


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In run -off - the river projects, at the point where river water is pushedinto the tunnel, the portion of the river between dam and Power House

is either dry or has very little water in it.


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A ll prayags (confluences) on the river banks of Devbhoomi (land of Gods)in Uttarakhand are either being submerged or withering away. The

people of Uttarakhand were once called the residents of thisDevbhoomi, now they are landless oustees.


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River water is not available for religious and cultural ritualslike bathing during festivals, funeral rites, river worship etc.


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The right of the Locals on the river is lost.


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As the river is dry, cattle breeders and people wholive on river banks, don t get water.


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The mountains are becoming weak as tunnels are being dug into wholeriver valleys. This leads to an increase in the number of landslides.


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C racks appear in the houses and land, under which tunnels arebuilt. For this reason, mountains become weak and collapse

under very slight earthquakes. No compensation is paid for this.Theimage cannotbe displayed.Your computer may nothaveenough memory toopen theimage,or the imagemay havebeen corrupted. Restartyour computer,and then open thefileagain.If thered x stillappears,you may havetodeletethe imageand then insertit again.


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On the Richter scale Uttarakhand comes under 4 & 5earthquake zone. The Ganga Valley is already affected by

earthquakes. Thousands of people have been killed. The risk of

earthquakes increases with the building of so many dams.


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As a result of all the projects undertaken on the Ganga valley,rivers B hagirathiganga, Vishnupadiganga A laknanda and all

their tributaries, no river will be left free.


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Use of explosives during tunnelings in run -off - the river projects, causenatural water sources dry up or change their location. B ut dam

proponents provide no solutions for this.


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The required monitoring of any hydroelectric project is notbeing done by either the central or state government.


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Problems have multiplied as pre -studies of projects have notbeen completed or done in the right way.


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B uilding several dams, one after another on the same rivercreates many negative impacts. There is no cumulative impactassessment study of the effect of multiple dams on one river.


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Dust and debris rise because of dam project work. Fodder for animals isaffected and rendered useless by exposure to explosions. The negative

effects affects forests and areas far and wide.


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Wild animals are adversely affected by dam projects inUttarakhand. As a result of the Tehri Dam reservoir, the terror

of monkeys, wild pigs, bears and tigers has increased in

human populated areas.


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Hydroelectric project reservoirs bring negative effects such asfog, diseases, landslides, and subsidence land around the

reservoir.


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It is common for the dam reservoir to become filled with silt. Sinceseveral dams are being built one after the other, even when silt is

allowed to flow downstream of one dam, it ends up collecting on thesecond dam.


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River is not safe for the local people.


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In the whole state of Uttarakhand, risks from electrictransmission lines are increasing.


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Uttarakhand is in the middle of the Himalayas and so its environmentremains comparatively cooler. Dams lead to increased concretization andconsequently higher temperatures, this negatively effects local crops and

fruits trees.


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Thousands of people engaged in dam construction work, livein one place because of which dirt and disease are rampant.


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Dams affect peoples culture, for which there can be nocompensation. The worst effect is on the freedom of women.


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Women are specifically affected by Hydro Electric Projects,with a reduced access to water, and displaced homes etc.


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Dam reservoirs produce green house gases which contributes to global warmingalso. Kotli -B hel, Pancheshwar like projects will have 10 to 30 K.M. Or even long

reservoirs.


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Where private companies are making dams, even the Right toInformation Act does not apply, and collecting information is

even tougher.


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No lesson is being learnt from earlierNo lesson is being learnt from earlierdams.dams.

Why should we invite long lastingWhy should we invite long lastingproblems?problems?


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Rivers s hould have t h eRivers s hould have t h erig h t to flow.rig h t to flow.


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Just T h ink!Just T h ink!


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National & State govts. s h ould release a w h iteNational & State govts. s h ould release a w h ite

paper explaining t h e realt y of H ydropaper explaining t h e realt y of H ydro--PowerPowerProjects. Onl y th en s h ould t h e y talk about newProjects. Onl y th en s h ould t h e y talk about new

Hydro Electric Projects.Hydro Electric Projects.


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Join us, and lets walk toget h er for t h e rig h ts of Join us, and lets walk toget h er for t h e rig h ts of People and Rivers.People and Rivers.

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Matu People's Organization