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dam-l MAHESHWAR DECLARATION: ENDORSEMENTS NEEDED

                                        PLEASE ENDORSE THIS DECLARATION!

International Rivers Network and Narmada Bachao Andolan/Save the Narmada
Movement have prepared the following declaration on Maheshwar Dam. The
declaration will be addressed to all Indian and foreign public and private
sector bodies supporting the project.

We are seeking endorsements to the declaration from groups in India and
around the world. If you are able to add your endorsement please send us
your name and institutional affiliation by Thursday, May 7. Please reply to
patrick@irn.org.

The NBA is currently working on raising awareness and support within India
for the Maheshwar struggle and are planning their next mass action at the
dam site.

                                        THANK YOU!
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DECLARATION IN SUPPORT OF THE STRUGGLE FOR THE PROMISED SUSPENSION OF
CONSTRUCTION ON THE MAHESHWAR DAM, MADHYA PRADESH, INDIA

NOTING THAT:

1. Maheshwar Dam would submerge 5000 hectares of land, displacing 2200
families and harming the livelihoods of thousands more. Families whose land
has been seized have received inadequate - and illegal - levels of
compensation. No resettlement plan exists. Local people have opposed the
seizure of their land and have requested the Narmada Bachao Andolan/Save
the Narmada Movement (NBA) to join them in their struggle to defend their
rights.

2. Following a year-long struggle, the Government of Madhya Pradesh (GoMP)
on January 30, 1998, issued a written order announcing that it would
suspend construction on the dam pending a comprehensive review of its
costs, benefits and alternatives. This announcement met the demands of the
NBA who called off a dam-site occupation by thousands of local people and a
hunger strike. A Task Force previously established to review the Narmada
Valley Development Project, and including representatives from the GoMP,
NBA and academia, has been directed to carry out this review.

3. At a special meeting of the Task Force on March, 4, 1998, the project
developer, S.Kumars, urged to be allowed to restart construction at
Maheshwar for "safety purposes". The NBA opposed this request believing
that it is a ruse to allow work to continue and thus reassure investors
that the project will not be significantly delayed. However on March, 11,
1998, GoMP issued a notification allowing "any work for the purposes of
safety and resettlement".

4. In early April, S.Kumars restarted work, including blasting, at
Maheshwar under protection of a force of around 1500 police and prohibitory
orders banning protestors from the dam site. On April 22, several thousand
people recaptured the dam site. Police arrested hundreds of villagers and
prevented drinking water tankers from reaching the protestors despite the
42 degree centigrade heat and lack of shelter, forcing people to drink
oil-contaminated river water. In the evening police arrested those
remaining at the site, bringing the total of the day's arrests to around
1200.

5. The following day, hundreds more people dodged police barricades and
once again took over the site. The police, without warning or provocation,
reacted with brutality, repeatedly beating the peaceful protestors with
batons and rifle butts, charging them on horseback, and using sexually
abusive language against women protestors. Several tear gas shells were
fired. By the evening of April 23, around 1500 people were in jail and
around 23 in hospital, some with serious injuries. Work is currently
continuing under the protection of the prohibitory orders and a massive
police presence.

6. The concession to build and operate the 400 megawatt Maheshwar Dam on
the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh state in central India has been given
to a private company, S.Kumars. Preliminary work on the project began in
1996. The dam is scheduled to be completed in 2002. S.Kumars are receiving
numerous public subsidies and guarantees to ensure that private investors
will make a profit from Maheshwar while the sizeable financial risks of the
project are borne by the public sector. The NBA and independent energy
experts have challenged the economic and technical viability of the
project, which will be one of the main subjects in the ongoing review.

7. According to an S.Kumars document dated 17 December, 1996, and other
sources, financing for the project will come from:

        a) German bank Bayerische Vereinsbank and probably Export Credit
Agency, Hermes-Bürgschaften.

        b) US energy utility PacifiCorp. A former subsidiary of PacifiCorp,
Pacific Generation Co. (PacGen), has worked with S.Kumars on structuring
the financing package for Maheshwar and is listed to be one of the largest
equity holders in the project. Although PacifiCorp sold PacGen in November
1997 they have retained their interest in Maheshwar.

        c) Power Finance Corporation, a specialized financial institution
wholly owned by the Government of India. PFC funders include the World
Bank, Asian Development Bank, US Agency for International Development and
UK Overseas Development Agency.

        d) Industrial Finance Corporation of India

        e) State Bank of India

        f) Dena Bank

8. Siemens AG and ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd. are believed to have signed
contracts to supply generating and other equipment for the dam. S.Kumars
has requested both companies to buy equity in the project.

THEREFORE, THE UNDERSIGNED ORGANIZATIONS

Condemn the repression of peaceful protests at Maheshwar Dam and the
breaking of the Madhya Pradesh government's written commitment to suspend
construction work.

Call on the Madhya Pradesh government to cease the repression at Maheshwar
and to reinstate their commitment to suspend construction pending the
results of the Task Force's review.

Call on S.Kumars to immediately cease all work on Maheshwar Dam and to only
restart work if the Task Force concludes that the dam should be built and
local people agree with this conclusion.

Call on Power Finance Corporation, Industrial Finance Corporation of India,
State Bank of India, Dena Bank and Bayerische Vereinsbank to make public
announcements condemning the use of violence against peaceful protestors
and guaranteeing that they will only lend to or invest in the Maheshwar
Project if the Task Force reaches a consensus that the dam should be built
and local people agree with this conclusion.

Call on Hermes-Bürgschaften to make a public announcement condemning the
use of violence against peaceful protestors and guaranteeing that they will
only guarantee loans to the Maheshwar Project if the Task Force reaches a
consensus that the dam should be built and local people agree with this
conclusion.

Call on PacifiCorp to make a public announcement condemning the use of
violence against peaceful protestors and stating that they no longer
support the project and would only reconsider their involvement if the Task
Force reaches a consensus that the dam should be built and local people
agree with this conclusion.

Call on ABB and Siemens to make a public announcement condemning the use of
violence against peaceful protestors and withdrawing their involvement in
the project until such a time as the Task Force reaches a consensus that
the dam should be built and local people agree with this conclusion.

Endorsed by