Professional Documents
Culture Documents
INTRODUCTION
1961: Inauguration of Narmada Valley development project 1978: Government seeks World Banks assistance Creation of 30 dams, 135 medium dams and 3000 small dams providing water to almost 40 million people over 6 million hectares of land and hydroelectric power for the region Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP):
Irrigate 1.8 million hectares of land in Gujarat and 73,000 hectares of land in Rajasthan + provision of water to 8,000 villages and 135 urban centers
Costs:
THE RESPONSE.
Local opponents, environmental activists, and professionals from the academic, scientific, and cultural worlds formed an NGO
Reviews conclusion: Unless a project can be carried out in accordance with existing norms of human rightsnorms espoused and endorsed by the Bank and
Formed : On 6 Oct 1969 As per Indias Interstate Water Disputes Act of 1956 Under Chairman Justice V. Ramaswami To Resolve: Water Sharing dispute. Rehab & Resettlement for those affected by Dams Indigenous people (Adivasis) Contains Mandated Clauses such as: Land for Land (e.g. Gujrat. 5 acres of irrigable land.)
Shortcomings: Compensation to Legal Land Owners only. Focused on Interstate disputes not on Affected Communities Political deals limits alternatives to achieve Objectives. Lacked appeal process by Ordinary court Not enough land available for Redistribution. Settlers return to homes already submerged!
Finalize resettlement plans prior to the loans approval Credit agreements with the Indian states required resettlement plans that conform to these policies
No plans produced even after 6 years of loan approval; No deadlines enforced by World Bank Ecological consequences of the Sardar Sarovar Project were not addressed.
1980 General Resettlement Policy 1982 Resettlememt policy adressing tribal community members 1990 Involuntary settlement 1991 Resettlement of indigenous population
Narmada Ghati Navnirman Samiti and Dharangrastha Samiti merged to form NBA in 1989
Focussed on transparency and accountability Government has ignored the stakeholders while making their decision
DIRECT ACTIONS
Anti Dam NBA Rally by Baba Amte At Harshud, involving 60,000 people Massive NBA 5 day Dharna Forced PM to reconsider the project Dharna unto death, by Amte & Patkar NBA called off after 21days Readiness for Jal Samarpan in Manibeli Forced the govt. to review the project
Mid 1992
Multi-pronged strategy - Lori Udall, Environmental Defence Fund Megha Patkar met with World Bank Narmada International Action Committeelobbied in several investing countries International NGO Friends of the Earth (Japanese branch) field visit withdrawal of Japans Fund June 1992 report by Human Rights Watch (at the time of The Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro) The Environmental Defence Fund and the Bank Information Centre(both U.S.-based NGOs) led the formation of the Narmada International Human Rights Panel Support of forty-two environmental and human rights NGOs representing sixteen countries.
Donor countries were unhappy with the developing image of the Bank as a
human rights violator
6 months to comply with certain environmental and rehabilitative benchmarks. The government of India announced cancelling the remaining $170 million Bank loan - what many regarded as an admission that the government could not meet the new benchmark
Forced WB to acknowledge Indian Govt.s disregard for consequences. NBA An example before the world
Social and Environmental impact of Bank projects Increasing awareness among middle class and rural people
Banks procedures opened for public, guidelines rewritten and current projects re-examined. Environmental concerns Into mainstream NGOs -Partners in development
Compensation for claimants Release of project information Improvement in resettlement packages for affected people. Project suspension, cancellation or redesign Cessation of evictions.
NBA approached Supreme Court in 1994 The NBAs lawyers began to push three novel legal arguments: Project was an unconstitutional taking It violated the equal protection clause of the Indian Constitution Government had infringed on their right to reside and settle in any part of India.
In 1995 Supreme Court ordered a stay on further construction but the courts orders were disregarded until the NBA march on Delhi in late 1995
In 1999, Indian Supreme Court authorized construction to increase height of Dam to 85 meters Since, 2000 the construction happened uninterrupted under the surveillance of GRA ( Grievance Redressal Authorities) in each of the party states
Project got completed on December 31,2006 It is one of the largest water resources project of India
Drinking Water - 9633 villages and 131 towns (29 million people)
CONCLUSION
NBA became symbolic of a global struggle for environmental and social justice, and a hope for peoples movements all over the world that are fighting for just, equitable, and participatory development. - NBA Partner