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dam-l Tehri Dam - Message from Sunderlal Bahuguna + Vishnuprayag and Parvati Hydel Schemes
For those of you interested in dams in the Indian Himalaya you may be
interested in the following information about developments at Tehri,
VishnuPrayag, and in the Parvati Valley.
I have just visited Tehri in the Garhwal region of the Indian Himalayas.
Construction of the 240 metre Tehri Dam on the Bhagarathi River (main
tributary of the Ganges) is continuing at a high pace. The dam will be the
biggest in India. The town and valley are shrouded in a thick pall of dust
that coats everything in the valley. Dumper-trucks ply the road from the
quarry to the dam site 24 hours a day, the sound of their engines is
omnipresent throughout the night. There is a perceptible tension amongst
the people of the town as the imminent demise of their historic town is now
obvious. Some people are resigned to it and have plans to move to New Tehri
or other cities in India. Others still believe that the dam will never be
finished but have no answer for what will happen to the town which is
already half vacated with its roads and buildings crumbling into dust.
Sunderlal Buhuguna, (renowned Garhwali environmental activist and Gandhian
Sarvodaya worker, associated with the CHIPKO movement in the Garhwal
Himalayas, which has championed peoples' participation in forest and natural
resource management in the Indian Himalayas)has just completed ten years of
vigil 150 meters from the main dam site. On 24th November 1989 Sunderlal
Bahuguna left the Ashram in Silyara village, where he had been establishing
tree farms and raising awareness amongst the villagers. He vowed never to
return until the Tehri dam had been scrapped. He has not seen the forests
that he nurtured just 35km by road from the dam site. We visited the site
and found the Ashram flourishing with broadleaf trees planted extensively
and small children being taught to read and write by a young woman who had
begun her education in the Ashram. It was a far cry from the scene in
Tehri.
Sunderlal Bahuguna is facing three charges connected with his ten years of
fasting, blockading and campaigning against the Tehri Dam. He is being
charged with attempting to commit suicide--due to his fasting against the
dam--obstructing the work of the government of India and, along with some
others, with destroying a bulldozer.
He remains in his hut just 150 metres from the point where the river plunges
into the diversion tunnels, his is the nearest dwelling to the dam and thus
will be the first to be submerged. Most of the day he can be seen sitting
in quiet meditation overlooking the river. Occasionally he is joined by
others.
He says that it is rumoured that the dam operators want to close the two
tunnels that currently carry the river around the dam site on 30 November
1999. They will send the water through two newly completed tunnels upstream
on the Bhilangana River(Tehri is situated just downstream of the
Bhilangana-Bhagarathi confluence). The tunnels that currently carry the
water are situated at 606metres asl (Tunnels 3 & 4). The Bhilangana tunnels
(Tunnels 1 & 2) are situated at 632 meters asl. Tehri town is at 640meters
asl and Bahuguna's hut is at 634. Bahuguna can not confirm that the tunnel
closure will be on the 30th. When we spoke to him it was only rumoured. We
are currently down in Rishikesh, about 80km by road from Tehri and will
return there if there is any news and post it on this list.
I asked Sunderlal Bahuguna if he would like to send a message to the dam
list. He requested that I post the following:
"Water is the last living resource for all beings. The greed of human
beings and the economy of affluence is plundering this resource. There
should be a revolt against this thoughtless plundering. It is not only the
resource of human beings but of trees, animals and other beings that cannot
speak for themselves. Now it is the solemn duty of every human being to
rise against this injustice to all beings, otherwise we do not deserve to be
called humans. Though it is too late, it is better late than never. I wish
those with a conscience would stand up against this injustice and give voice
to those that cannot speak. I especially appeal to the young people --
because they have a creative mind, compassionate heart and constructive
hands -- to come forward and lead this campaign to undo the wrongs of the
twentieth century and make this earth worth living in. One in which all
beings enjoy peace, happiness and fulfilment." After some discussion he
asked this to be added (somewhat in reference to the legal charges against
him): "One who swims against the tide should be prepared for ridicule,
neglect, isolation and insult. These are the four things that those that
swim against the tide get."
On my travels around the Garhwal Himalaya (where I am researching the impact
of forest policy that resulted from the CHIPKO movement's demands of the
1970s and 80s), I have seen the construction of another dam on the other
main tributary of the Ganges, the Alaknanda. The Vishnuprayag Hydel Project
is visibly well underway--although no coffer dam or barrage is present to my
knowledge. From Joshimath, in Chamoli district of Garhwal, one can see the
new road leading up the bare mountainside to a rocky gully where the head
race tunnel will deposit water at the surge tank. An underground power-house
is being constructed. The two barrage sites are located at such high
altitude that they will remain snowbound for 4 months of the year. 800Sq.
km of the 1130Sq. km catchment area is permanently snow bound. The main
barrage site can be seen from the main road to Badrinath. This is one of
the most important temples in India, located near the source of the
Alaknanda and visited by thousands of pilgrims from all over India every
year between April and November. A sign on the road marks its axis about
15km from Badrinath near a place called Lambadgarh. I think the installed
capacity is 400MW.
Some of this info is gleaned from: Chandi Prasad Bhatt (1997) The Future of
Large Projects in The Himalayas. Second Edition. PAHAR, Nainital, Uttar
Pradesh, India.
And in case you did not know already, the following is from the November 25
Hindustan Times...
"Parvati Project to take off next month"
HT Correspondant, Shimla, 24 November 1999, p8.
"Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will finally lay the foundation stone
of the much-delayed and controversial Parvati hydro-electric project in
Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh next month. The 2,051 mw hydel project
is the biggest of its kind in Asia and will be completed in three stages at
a cost of over Rs 12,500 crore.
Mr Vajpayee was scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the project in July
but could not do so as the code of conduct for elections came into force
just a couple of days before the ceremony.
The controversial project has been delayed by several years. It was
initially supposed to be undertaken as a joint venture of five states-
Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi and Haryana. The previous
government had objected to the meagre share being given to it in the
project. This complicated matters and the project got entangled in a
stalemate over share.
The Dhumal Government devised a new way by signing an agreement with the
Centre for this project. The states in the earlier memorandum of
understanding have objected to the unilateral decision of the state to go
ahead with the project. The project will now be executed by the NHPC. The
NHPC will reimburse Rs 100 crore spent by the HP Electricity Board (HPSEB)
on investigation of this project.
Over 8,500 million units of electricity will be generated from this project
annually out of which Himachal will get 12 per cent free power and 15 per
cent power at generation cost. The annual revenue to the state from free
power will be Rs 400 crore.
Stage II of the project of 800 mw will be taken up first by diverting river
Parvati at Pulga. The power house will be at Sainj. The stage III of 501
mw and stage I if 750 mw will be taken up subsequently, an official
spokesman said. The Himachal Government has requested the Union Power
Minister to direct NHPC to give preference to workers and officials from the
state for this project.
END
Well thats my Indian Himalaya Dam update, hope it will be interesting or
useful to someone. It seems to me that despite events at Narmada, The World
Bank and IUCN, India is pushing ahead with many of its controversial and
large dam projects. Any comments of questions write to:
lorncath@nda.vsnl.net.in This address is useful until end of February while
I remain in India. After which my usual address is lorncatherin@gn.apc.org
If you want to quote or reprint Bahuguna's statement or my comments on Tehri
or Vishnuprayag, please do, let me know if you can for my own records.
Yours,
Lorne Stockman