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dam-l LS: Arundhati Roy/Jharana Jhaveri Denounce Dams at UN-HCR
UN Commission on Human Rights: Arundhati Roy on Large Dams
In the context of this year's UN Commission on Human Rights session,
prominent writer Arundhati Roy and film director Jharana Jhaveri denounced
the massive human rights violations caused by the construction of large
dams in India's Narmada Valley. Together with the Berne Declaration and the
Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, the two Indian artists called for an
immediate halt of dam construction at a conference in Geneva on 23 March.
* * *
On 23 March, prominent writer Arundhati Roy and film director Jharana
Jhaveri testified at a conference organized by the Swiss NGO, the Berne
Declaration, and the US-based Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund at UN
headquarters in Geneva. Addressing an audience of Human Rights Commission
delegates, media and NGO representatives, the two Indian artists denounced
the serious human rights violations caused by the construction of large
dams in India's Narmada Valley.
Introducing the subject, Thierry Pellet of the Berne Declaration pointed
out that the world's 40,000 large dams have so far displaced at least 60
million people. "Experience shows that the human and environmental costs of
such projects are consistently underestimated", Pellet warned. Yves Lador
of the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund maintained that the human rights and
environmental problems of large dams are reinforcing each other. "In order
to avoid massive violations of human rights, the affected people must be
granted access to information and the right to participate in
decision-making", Lador stated.
Arundhati Roy, who had visited the project area several times, denounced
the serious resettlement problems of the Sardar Sarovar and Maheshwar
dams on the Narmada river. "Apart from the fact that the benefits will
not accrue to those in whose name the project is being built, but to
politically powerful industrial lobbies", she said that "there is simply
no land available for the dam oustees". "Anybody concerned with human
rights issues ought to publicly support the Narmada Bachao Andolan's
(Save Narmada Movement's) petition to the Supreme Court of India, asking
for an independent review of the entire project", the writer said. "It is
no coincidence that the majority of the 33 million people uprooted by
big dams in India are indigenous people, who have been consistently
brutalized by the economic and political decision-makers", Arundhati Roy
concluded.
Jharana Jhaveri described the experience of a mass demonstration against
the Maheshwar dam in mid-January of this year. Around 1000 peaceful
protesters, including Jhaveri and Roy, were arrested and imprisoned near
the dam site. Pointing to the determined resistance of the affected
population, the film director warned that "the Maheshwar and Sardar
Sarovar dams can only be built by using force and violating human
rights. The coming monsoon is critical, and the people's resolve is
final; they are willing to lay their lives but will not move from their
homes and lands. It is the responsibility of every citizen to appeal to
the Indian Government's for stopping the construction of the two dams in
question and taking those affected into confidence before continuing
with forced eviction." Ms. Jhaveri further said: "The international
community's role is vital and we hope that they will join the thousands
questioning the viability of the project, the environmental and economic
feasibility of the project and the conitnued human rights violations."
For further information:
. Thierry Pellet, Berne Declaration, decladeberne@club.ch, ph +41 21 624 54 17
. Peter Bosshard, Berne Declaration, finance@evb.ch, ph. +41 1 277 70 07
. www.narmada.org, www.evb.ch
Background information:
The Narmada project entails the construction of 30 large, 135 medium-sized
and 3000 small dams in India's Narmada Valley. More than 100,000 people
have already been displaced due to the project, but have not been
rehabilitated. If all dams were built, at least another 1 million people
would need to be resettled. In 1995, India's Supreme Court ruled that
construction of the controversial Sardar Sarovar dam be suspended. The
Court allowed the construction of another 5 meters in 1999; a decision on
further construction is still pending.
Arundhati Roy, author of "The God of Small Things" and winner of the
renowned Booker Prize in 1997, became involved in the struggle against the
Narmada dams in spring 1999. After visiting the project area, she published
a passionate essay on the Narmada experience under the title of "The
Greater Common Good". Jharana Jhaveri in 1997 directed and produced the
film "Kaise Jeebo Re!" ("How do I survive, my friend?") describing the
struggle against the Narmada projects.
Arundhati Roy and Jharana Jhaveri are presently visiting Switzerland, and
are scheduled to appear at public events in Geneva and Basel. The
Swedish-Swiss company ABB is involved in the Maheshwar dam. The Berne
Declaration supports the struggle of the Save the Narmada Movement, and is
campaigning against foreign funding for the Maheshwar and other Narmada dams.