Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Box 6.4
Dams and the greater common good
In Kevadia Colony, the most barbaric joke of all is the wildlife museum. The
Shoolpaneshwar Sanctuary Interpretation Centre gives you a quick, comprehensive
picture of the Government's commitment to Conservation.
The Sardar Sarovar reservoir, when the dam is at its full height, is going to
submerge about 13,000 hectares of prime forest land. (In anticipation of submergence,
the forest began to be felled many greedy years ago.) Environmentalists and
conservationists were quite rightly alarmed at the extent of loss of biodiversity
and wildlife habitat that the submergence would cause. To mitigate this loss, the
Government decided to expand the Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary that straddles
the dam on the south side of the river.
There is a hare-brained scheme that envisages drowning animals from the
submerged forests swimming their way to 'wild-life corridors' that will be created for
them, and setting up home in the New! Improved! Shoolpaneshwar Sanctuary.
Presumably wildlife and biodiversity can be protected and maintained only if human
activity is restricted and traditional rights to use forest resources curtailed. Forty
thousand tribal people from 101 villages within the boundaries of the Shoolpaneshwar
Sanctuary depend on the forest for a livelihood. They will be 'persuaded' to leave.
They are not included in the definition of Project Affected.
Where will they go? I imagine you know by now.
Whatever their troubles in the real world, in the Shoolpaneshwar Sanctuary
Interpretation Centre (where an old stuffed leopard and a mouldy sloth bear have to
make do with a shared corner) the tribal people have a whole room to themselves.
On the walls there are clumsy wooden carvings - Government-approved tribal art,
with signs that say 'Tribal Art'. In the centre, there is a life-sized thatched hut with
the door open. The pot's on the fire, the dog is asleep on the floor and all's well
with the world. Outside, to welcome you, are Mr. and Mrs. Tribal. A lumpy, papier
mache couple, smiling.
Smiling
. They're not even permitted the grace of rage. That's what I can't get over.
Oh, but have I got it wrong? What if they're smiling voluntarily, bursting with
National Pride? Brimming with the joy of having sacrificed their lives to bring drinking
water to thirsty millions in Gujarat?
Source: Arundhati Roy (1999).
hydropower capacity and in so doing has created a massive economic interest in
dam construction and renewables among the companies responsible for their con-
struction. There have also been massive social and environmental costs, some of
which can be seen in Yung Chan's 2007 film
Up the Yangtze
. Forests were clear
cut and the timber harvested before land was submerged. Over a million people
have been displaced by the Three Gorges project and the flooding of lands to create
a 410-mile long reservoir has submerged 13 cities, 140 towns and 1,350 villages.
Financial compensation to displaced people has often been inadequate, not covering
the cost of new accommodation because much of it has been appropriated by corrupt
