Guest guest Posted December 3, 2005 Report Share Posted December 3, 2005 URGENT ACTION REQUIRED TO PROTECT MOTHER GANGES Please sign the petitions on line, collect signatures on paper, send protest letters to the Government and the media, and circulate the information to all friends and relatives. Thank you, PKD petition link: http://www.petitiononline.com/devpryag/petition.html President of India A PETITION REQUESTING AN IMMEDIATE STUDY OF THE GEOLOGICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHANGES AT TEHRI SINCE THE RECENT EARTHQUAKE IN KASHMIR The Honourable President Sri Abdul Kalaam Can we envision a Bharat where the majestic Himalayas are devoid of their rich bio-diversity and Mother Ganga flows like a trickle? Can we think of a Bharat without the Thirtha Sthalas of Devaprayag, Haridwar and Rishikesh? Are we prepared to face the catastrophic consequences if the Tehri Dam breaks due to an Earthquake or Terrorism? We, the citizens of India, are appalled that factors which point so clearly against the construction of the Tehri dam are being ignored by the government. Our concern is that the government is moving ahead to finish the Tehri Dam which is: • Increasing the threat of earthquakes and their catastrophic consequences in the region • Reducing the flow of Mother Ganga to sacred places such as Rishikesh, Haridwar and Devprayag, thus failing to respect the sentiments of the entire nation for whom Mother Ganga is sacrosanct • Creating an ecological disaster by destroying forests and ecosystems • Uprooting the indigenous population in the Himalayas, whom the government has an obligation to protect • Destroying local economies in the vicinity of the now drying up river We are deeply anguished that the Government has been proceeding on this project without thoroughly researching the disastrous and long term impact that the Tehri dam construction could have on our environment and our culture. There have been many demonstrations, protests and even a case in the Supreme Court against the finishing of the Tehri Dam, and we would like to add our voices to this protest. Indians, down the ages, have worshipped Mother Nature and the elements and never desecrated nor created an imbalance in the environment. This attitude has helped us withstand numerous invasions throughout history, but now, post-independence, our government seems lackadaisical about preserving our ecological and cultural heritage. Does the government have the right to disrupt the natural flow of Mother Ganga, which has been an integral part of our national consciousness from time immemorial? There are detailed studies and reports on the potential disasters that the Tehri Dam will bring in its wake, whether it is standing or if it breaks down. Ongoing scientific investigations support theories that “The monster quake in Pakistan & Kashmir could be linked to the tectonic shifts below the Tehri dam 600 km away”, as a noted conservationist says. Bulu Iman of INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) affirmed that his organization had warned us, almost two decades ago, of seismic hazards of eight-plus on the Richter scale if the dam was built, impacting cities like New Delhi as far as 350 km away. While we acknowledge that the dam may temporarily fulfill a few requirements of a small percentage of our population, these pale in comparison to the hazards that it will create for the entire nation. Our earnest request is that the Honorable President of the world’s largest democracy gives the voice of its people a chance to be heard and their earnest wishes fulfilled to protect their cultural and ecological heritage. We request the Honourable President to have an independent agency like the Geological Survey of India perform a detailed study of the Tehri Region after the earth-quake in Kashmir to understand the geological and ecological implications in the region. Sincerely, The Undersigned ARRESTING THE FLOW OF SACRED GANGA An invitation to disaster From Ravindra Saini in Dehradun http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content & pa=showpage & pid=106 & page=11 The 1000mw Tehri dam project is now on the verge of being commissioned. All the political parties are mysteriously silent on the issue and the State government is planning a grand inauguration of the dam. On the other hand saints in Haridwar, Varanasi and Prayag have come out on to the streets against arresting the free-flow of the holy river. They formally kicked off an agitation in Varanasi on November 7. The saints are demanding implementation of the Dr Joshi committee report, which recommended continuing the free flow of the Ganga by constructing a separate tunnel. There is also strong resentment amongst the displaced villagers, who now find themselves trapped in an island. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court also issued notices to the Central, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh governments directing them to clarify the misgivings of people about the dam. Since 1972 when the work on the Tehri dam project began during the Congress regime, the dam has been looked upon with awe and pride. Pride, as the State of Uttar Pradesh earlier and now Uttaranchal has been claiming an engineering marvel that will light up countless villages and facilitate irrigation to the parched land across northern India, but the truth is that it can also prove disastrous for half of the country in case of a mishap. No matter, the project was cleared during the NDA regime, a number of political parties enjoyed power at the Centre at that time but none bothered about the threat to Ganga. Even the rehabilitation of the ousted people has been a saga of unfulfilled promises and impropriety. Anti-Tehri dam agitation The closure of tunnel-2 on October 29, which completely stopped the free-flow of Ganga, has hurt crores of Hindus the world over. People are feeling cheated by the political class. “Our leaders have deceived us. We will not forgive them for this sin,” said S. Ramchandran from Tamil Nadu who had come to Haridwar to have a dip in the holy river. Experts have termed the Tehri dam as an open invitation to disaster. The Uttaranchal government and the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) officials have been claiming that only two cusecs of water is flowing from tunnel-1 and after the reservoir is filled it will be increased to 30 cusecs. But it is a fact that the flow of the Ganga has been arrested in a gigantic reservoir of 45 sq. km and this is also a fact that it will be at the total mercy of the government and the THDC officials how much water they release. Instead of paving the way for prosperity, experts feel that the Tehri dam can be the cause of mass destruction. There may be remorse in the hearts of the people. The high walls of the dam, have failed to stonewall voices of dissent. As the water level in the dam rises, apprehensions are growing that caging Bhagirathi, the main stream of Ganga, will destroy the unique eco system of the river. Experts say the Tehri dam is located in a region known for its high seismicity. The site is rated four on the scale of 1 to 4 classification identified by the International Commission on Large Dams (ICLD) on the earthquake regions of the world. This implies that the site of the dam can experience earthquakes up to a magnitude of 9 on the richter scale. This region has already experienced a devastating earthquake of 8.2 magnitude in Uttarkashi recently. What will happen if the earthquake of more than 9 magnitude strikes the region, which cannot be ruled out? Experts say the whole civilisation of the country will be in danger if the dam is damaged. Cities like Haridwar, Rishikesh, etc. will be completely washed away. The closure of tunnel-2 on October 29, which completely stopped the free-flow of Ganga, has hurt crores of Hindus world over. People are feeling cheated by the political class. There are about 8,925 big dams in the world, out of which about 535 have lost their utility. A total of 40 dams have become irrelevant in India alone. People of Gujarat have already suffered when the Machchu dam was damaged in 1979, the whole Morchi town had submerged in just 15 minutes. Over 3000 people died in just seven minutes when Vacent dam of Italy was damaged on October 9, 1963. According to a document published by the Environment Ministry, the reservoir of Tehri dam, in case of a mishap, will be completely vacated in just 22 minutes. High devastating waves of over 100 mts will arise and the country will suffer major devastation from Rishikesh to the Bay of Bengal. The water of the dam will reach Rishikesh within 63 minutes and the waves will be as high as 250 meters. The waves could reach as high as 232 meters in Haridwar and could be about nine meters high even in New Delhi, which are 104 km and 246 km away from Tehri Dam respectively. It was in 1914 that for the first time the British government tried to arrest the natural flow of Ganga by announcing the construction of the Bhimgoda dam in Haridwar. The Hindu Mahasabha started a strong protest in 1916, which was later led by Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya. After months of deliberations the British government had to withdraw the plan. Now people feel that the damage that even the British government nor the Muslim rulers could do, our own people have done. Brewing resentment Fearing the wrath of people in the coming elections, about a dozen Congress legislators from the Tehri region who were silent on the issue so far, have started an agitation for the rehabilitation of the ousted people. But they are silent on the arresting of the free-flow of the Ganga. They have even attacked the State Chief Minister, Narayan Dutt Tewari and demanded a special session of the State Assembly to discuss the problems of the displaced people. In order to save their skins, they are blaming the State government and the Centre for ignoring the problems of the 1.5-lakh displaced people. All the six MLAs from Tehri belong to the ruling Congress party. Allegations and counter-allegations on the issue could soon spiral into a political crisis for the ruling Congress, something the party would like to avoid in view of the forthcoming Assembly polls next year. “It’s the responsibility of the State government to protect the interests of the public. But ever since coming to power, Shri Tewari has neither visited Tehri, nor met the affected people even once,” said Shri Kishore Upadhyay, Congress MLA from Tehri. He alleged that while the State government was seeking more money from the Centre to compensate the displaced, it was submitting false affidavits in the Supreme Court and High Court stating that issues related to rehabilitation have been addressed. “Would the situation have been similar if it had happened in Shri Tewari’s own constituency,” he asked. S.S. Sajwan, Congress MLA from Rishikesh alleged that bureaucrats kept Shri Tewari in the dark about the ground realities at Tehri. Pratapnagar legislator P.S. Bisht lamented that despite repeated requests, Tewari is yet to visit the affected area. “The State government should have announced a comprehensive economic package for the people,” said Jot Singh Bist, a local leader. “The government should have rehabilitated us before the closure of the tunnel,” said Asha Nautiyal, a mother of two from Mali Deval village. People are angry with the Chief Minister, for not visiting their areas. “Tewari only travels to Lucknow and Delhi but not a single time has he visited our village,” said Kamal Bahuguna, a resident of Sarain village, which too would be submerged shortly. Interestingly, most of the people living in these places alleged that they did not receive any compensation but the district administration has been claiming that compensation has already been paid. More than one lakh people have already been uprooted in Tehri making it one of the biggest human displacements in independent India. With the water level of the reservoir hovering around 670 meters, people from nearby villages still pour into old Tehri town to have a last glimpse of their town, which will be submerged once for all soon. More than eight-lakh people have been affected by the dam. ============================= GANGA TRAPPED IN TEHRI By Prof. U.K. Choudhary http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content & pa=showpage & pid=106 & page=12 The 260.5 m high earth and rock-fill dam across the river Bhagirathi is located about 1.5 km down stream its confluence with river Bhilangana near Tehri town. The reservoir has a gross and live storage capacity of 3,540 million cubic m and 2,615 million cubic m, respectively. The head for live storage is 90 m and that of dead storage 170.5 m. The reservoir being created will extend 44 km along the Bhagirathi and 25 km. along river Bhilangana. The area of the land to be submerged in the reservoir is 5,200 hectares of which 1,600 hectares is cultivated land, 2,000 hectares is un-cultivated land and 1,600 hectares is forest land in which rare species of medicinal plants exist. The entire Tehri town and over 95 villages have almost been submerged and more than 50, 000 people have been displaced. The normal reservoir level of Tehri lake will be 830 m and Tehri town is located between 630 and 730 m. The catchment area of the Tehri dam is 7,511 sq. km out of which 2,328 sq km lies above the snow line. The Tehri valley has phyllite, slate and scientose rocks. The slope of the Tehri reservoir is 6m/km. The rocks in the area show extensive techtonic activity. The geological mapping shows that a number of faults are located near the dam site. The annual yield of Bhagirathi at Tehri is 8,135 million cubic m. The average discharge from October to June is 107 cubic m/second, where as from July to September, it is 705 cubic m /second. Therefore the average discharge of the year is 256.5 cubic m/second. Thus, the time required to fill the reservoir is 160 days. The water in the lower portion of the reservoir, which cannot be removed, known as dead storage, will be a store house of inorganic and organic matter. Their disintegration will be at a faster rate in the static water of the dead storage. The ions of different elements/substance will increase their densities and will cause pollution /contamination of the reservoir water. This will happen in the same way as a pot of copper/iron etc. ionizes the water kept in it. Therefore, the big dam of Tehri will pollute the water causing tremendous increase in the pressure. The flow and the quality of the water of the river are thus bound to change in totality. The density gradient will generate inside the reservoir in millions of cubic meter of reservoir water mixed with different materials, the Ganga jal is mixed under density gradient. The reservoir water, thus, circulates with the current known as density current. Under this action the few hundred cubic meters of the Ganga jal loses its complete identity. The water in the lower portion of the reservoir, which cannot be removed, known as dead storage, will be a store house of inorganic and organic matter. Their disintegration will be at a faster rate in the static water of the dead storage. The mixing of the reservoir water above the outlets (known as live storage) takes place with that of the water with the dead storage (reservoir water below the outlets). Thus, the Ganga jal is converted like the water of the reservoir. Further when the Ganga is inside the Tehri dam it interacts with the stored flood-water containing different types of chemicals. The purity of the Ganga water continuously diminishes with time due to the chemical reactions/interaction with the reservoir water. As the level of water in the reservoir increases, the velocity decreases, the turbulent energy slows down and sedimentation enhances. The organic matters are deposited inside the reservoir. The dense forest of 1,600 acres is submerged in Tehri reservoir. Their decomposition causes the formation of different acids. This spoils the soil of the reservoir. This finally causes water pollution. The sedimentation in the reservoir will be much more enhanced due to the sliding of the hills under variable saturated and unsaturated conditions on large sloping ground under pore-pressure. The situation will be similar to the human whose body is inside water for a longer period of time due to which his body vibrates and finally he falls down. The Tehri reservoir as per its rock characteristics further will discharge the polluted water through seepage and cause landslides in the down stream. This result is clearly seen as the reservoir filling time is continuously increasing. This will further result in decrease in oxygen content and increase in B.O.D. load and the microbes inside the dam. The more time the river takes to fill the reservoir, the more is the Ganga-jal to be pure in terms of organic and microbiological pollutants. But this water does not have the quality of the river water. Inorganic pollutants are never removed. The ionization of inorganic load causes an increase in their concentration. The density of water, therefore, rises. Thus, the pollutants of Tehri reservoir will increase everyday. This is deposited in the lower level of the dead storage. The dam, therefore, will work at the cost the Ganga jal. The essence of the Ganga jal is bound to be lost in the large volume of reservoir water. This will happen in similar way as the sweetness of the Ganga jal is lost and it entirely becomes saline water when it enters the ocean. Further, the reservoir water coming out from the Tehri dam cannot have the capability of absorbing more oxygen, this will be similar to the ocean water that inspite of hurricane does not absorb more oxygen from the atmosphere. In this way the self-cleaning potential of the Ganga jal is bound to diminish continuously. Further, the Tehri reservoir with large slope bearing weight of high column of water will start shaking, known as self-induced seismicity. The Tehri reservoir has a slope that is six-times larger compared to Bhakra Dam reservoir and 18-times that of the T.G.P. dam of China, the biggest hydro power plant of the world. Therefore the Tehri dam may be affected by self-induced seismicity. Based on the above facts it seems as if it were the great Himalayas saying, “I am not capable of keeping the Ganga inside the big dam. I am at present young, I have fractured and crushed rock. I am often subject to intense earthquakes. I have sloppy land, covered with valuable medicinal plants. I shall terribly subside and my soil will spread along the whole length of the river, the great plain of India will suffer floods and soil erosion and the eternal essence of the Ganga-jal will be lost. Therefore, do not put the Ganga inside the Tehri dam, this is the most valuable property gifted by nature to this earth, let her qualitative virtues be used by the whole of mankind.” (The author is a Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Benaras Hindu University. He is also founder of the Ganga Research Centre in the University.) * * * * * * * * * * * * Villagers protesting against a river project are subjected to torture in Uttaranchal Asian Human Rights Commission November 30, 2005 URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from reliable sources about atrocities perpetuated by the local police in coalition with the district administration on villagers protesting against the construction of a dam under the Bhilangana Hydel River Project in Tehri Garhwal District, Uttaranchal. This river project has been contracted by the Government of Uttaranchal to a private company called Swasti Power Engineering Ltd, which is owned by the brothers of the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. This company was first sanctioned an 11mgwt project for a lease period of 35 years after the completion of a survey and clearance of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. A few years later another contract with Swasti Power was signed by the Government of Uttaranchal for a 22.5 mgwt project this time for a 40 year period. However, the government completely ignored the social and environmental costs that the communities living in that area would have to endure. In response to this, villagers have been protesting in Phalenda, Tehri District. One hundred and twenty villagers were arrested by the police in March 2005 and another 79 were arrested in July 2005. Since November 20, at least 29 people, including 6 women have been arrested. The police have been using brutal force, women have been dragged by their hair, their clothes have been torn and families of these protesters are being continuously harassed. The AHRC condemns this brutal behavior by the police which is supported by the District Administration and in the larger picture by the State Government. We thereby call for your urgent intervention. Please write to the concerned authorities asking them to ensure that the protesting villagers are treated with dignity and respect. Action should be taken against all those responsible for this inhumane treatment meted out to them. We also request the Government of Uttaranchal to stall this projectimmediately until the new Environment Impact Assessment for the 22.5 mgwt plant is conducted and cleared since the old one is no longer applicable. It is essential that there is a total analysis of the impact of this project on the livelihood and health of the villagers and on the environment. We also urge the Government to have an objective look at the demands placed by these villagers and ensure that there is no negative impact on their life and in the environment around them. Urgent Appeals Programme Asian Human Rights Commission ---------------------------- DETAILED INFORMATION Victims: Protesting villagers in Phalenda, Tehri district Alleged Perpetrators: 1. The police 2. The District Administration 3. The Government of Uttaranchal 4. The Swasti Power Engineering Company Ltd Place: Bhilangana Hydel River Project in Tehri Garhwal District, Uttaranchal Case Details: The Bhilangana Hydel river project in Tehri-Garhwal District, Uttaranchal, was contracted by the Government of Uttaranchal (GOU) to Swasti Power Engineering Ltd, a private company owned by the brothers of Mr. Raj Sekhar Reddy, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. A contract between the GOU and Swasti Powers was signed on 21 March 2001 wherein Swasti Power was sanctioned an 11 mgwt project on the Bhilangana River for a 35 year lease period. This was given on the basis of completion of a survey and clearance of the EIA (prepared by Acres International) by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. It is to be noted that Acres International, which is a partner of Swasti Powers, was convicted for bribery in 2002 and has been blacklisted by the World Bank on charges of corruption and barred from being involved in any bank contracts for three years. On 16 October 2003, another contract this time for a 22.5 mgwt plant was sig ned between GOU and Swasti Powers for a 40 year lease period. However, when the capacity of the project was unilaterally doubled, the specifications also changed substantially. It now appears that the GOU considered the short term profitability of the proposed investment and ignored the social and environmental costs that the communities living in that area would have to endure as a result of this project. This is reflected in the absence of any analysis of the socio-economic profile of the local population or mention of the impact on their livelihood, health and other aspects. The impact upon the environment too has been ignored. Apart from the fact that there is no EIA for the new project which is essential (since the last one was for a project of much lesser capacity), the present EIA makes no mention of the location of quarries required for construction materials, release of oils, greases, the nature of ribbon and ancillary development, the likelihood of heavy metal releases from turbine erosion and the impact of all these on the environment. This project is said to directly affect the lives and livelihood of seven villages with a population of approximately 5000 people. This mainly includes farmers who have small plots of land and sustain their families on the two crops they are able to grow in a year due to the continuous supply of water from the Bhilangana River. It is alleged that this supply will now be controlled by Swasti Powers and released only as per the company's calculations of the people's needs. The villagers have been protesting in Phalenda, Tehri District against this project and have made a list of demands. The police with help from the local administration arrested 120 protesters in March 2005 and another 79 in July 2005. Another 29 people have been arrested since November 20 for protesting against the violations of Government norms. Women were beaten and abused, dragged by their hair and there clothes were torn. Some even had scars on their face, as a result of the beatings, three weeks after the brutality. Families of these protesters have been repeatedly harassed by the police. The AHRC strongly condemns the brutal behavior of the police as well as the fact that there has been no EIA for the 22.5 mgwt Bhilangana Hydel River project. SUGGESTED ACTION: Please write to the concerned authorities asking them to ensure that the protesting villagers are treated with dignity and respect and actions are taken against all those responsible for their inhumane treatment. Please also request the Government of Uttaranchal to stall this project immediately until the new Environment Impact Assessment for the 22.5 mgwt plant is conducted and cleared. Sample letter: ------------------ Dear __________, INDIA: Villagers protesting against a river project are subjected to torture in Uttaranchal Victims: Protesting villagers in Phalenda, Tehri district Alleged Perpetrators: 1. The police 2. The District Administration 3. The Government of Uttaranchal 4. The Swasti Power Engineering Company Ltd Place: Bhilangana Hydel River Project in Tehri Garhwal District, Uttaranchal I am extremely concerned about the atrocities perpetuated by the local police in coalition with the district administration on villagers protesting against the construction of a dam under the Bhilangana Hydel River Project in Tehri Garhwal District, Uttaranchal. This river project of a capacity of 22mgwt (mega watts) has been contracted by the Government of Uttaranchal to a private company called Swasti Power Engineering Ltd, which is owned by the brothers of the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. This company was first sanctioned an 11mgwt project for a lease period of 35 years after the completion of a survey and clearance of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. A few years later another contract with Swasti Power was signed by the Government of Uttaranchal for a 22.5 mgwt project, this time for a 40 year period. However, the government completely ignored the social and environmental costs that the communities living in that area would have to endure. The impact on the environment too has been completely disregarded and there has been no EIA for the new project. In response to this, villagers have been protesting in Phalenda, Tehri District. One hundred and twenty villagers were arrested by the police in March 2005 and another 79 were arrested in July 2005. Since November 20, at least 29 people including 6 women have been arrested. The police have been using brutal force, women have been dragged by their hair, their clothes have been torn and families of these protesters are being continuously harassed. This brutal behavior by the police, which is supported by the District Administration and in the larger picture by the State Government, is very disturbing. I thereby call for your urgent intervention to ensure that the protesting villagers are treated with dignity and respect. Action should be taken against all those responsible for this inhumane treatment meted out to them. I also request the Government of Uttaranchal to stall this project immediately until the new Environment Impact Assessment for the 22.5 mgwt plant is conducted and cleared since the old one is no longer applicable. It is essential that there is a total analysis of the impact of this project on the livelihood and health of the villagers and on the environment. I also urge the Government to have an objective look at the demands placed by these villagers and ensure that there is no negative impact on their life and inthe environment around them. Yours sincerely, ----------------------- PLEASE SEND LETTERS TO: 1. Shri Narain Datt Tiwari, Chief Minister of Uttaranchal, Chief Minister Niwas, Circuit House Old Annexe, Cantt. Road, Dehradun - 248 001, INDIA Tel: +91-135-2665090/ 2665100 Fax: +91 0135-2665722 2. Shri Namo Narayan Meena, Minister of State for Environment and Forests, R. No 101, Paryavaran Bhavan, CGO Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi-3, INDIA Tel: +91-11-24362131 /24364791 3. Ms Kiran Choudhary Battacharya, Director General of Police, Police Head Quarters, 12 Subhash Marg, Dehradun, Uttaranchal, INDIA Email: dgp(at)ua.nic.in 4. Shri Justice A. S. Anand, Chairperson National Human Rights Commission of India Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi-110001, INDIA Tel: +91 11 23074448 Fax: +91 11 2334 0016 E-mail: chairnhrc(at)nic.inn 5. Prof. Manfred Nowak, Special Rapporteur on the question of torture, Attn: Mr. Safir Syed OHCHR-UNOG, 1211 Geneva 10, SWITZERLAND Tel: +41 22 917 9230 Fax: +41 22 917 9016 (general) E-mail: ssyed(at)ohchr.org Thank you. Urgent Appeals Programme, Asian Human Rights Commission 19/F, Go-Up Commercial Building, 998 Canton Road, Kowloon, Hongkong S.A.R. Tel: +(852) - 2698-6339 Fax: +(852) - 2698-6367 Forwarded by: _________________________________ Ravi Khanna, Director voices from the global village, 1world communication P. O. Box 2476, Amherst, MA 01004 phone: 413-253-1960 cell: 413-687-8150 (new) e-mail: oneworld Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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