2011_the Stifled Ganga

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Free of Fetters: Ganga flows unrestrained atGangotri. A major project is planned nine

kilometres downstreamPhotos: Trilochan S. Kalra

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From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 5, Issue 28, Dated July 19, 2008

CURRENT AFFAIRS special report

The Gangas Last Roar

Mega dams. Crumbling mountains. Collapsing villages. Indias mightiest river is being chained to kilometres of man-made

tunnels. TUSHA MITTAL travels upto Gangotri, tracking a disaster in the making

ALL NIGHT, damp unruly winds have been raking the Himalayan slopes,

showering the Bhagirathi valley with torrents of rain. At night, the river flows with avociferous thud, numbing everything else. At night, the outlines of dynamite are just

a blur; it is easy to forget.

But now, day is about to break. Soon the first slivers of sunlight will slant their wayover tall timber trees, dive inside the Ganga as she cras - hes against the rocks,

and warm the backs of the endangered Ganges dolphin and Hilsa fish migra t ing

upstream to Gangotri for their hatching season. In ashrams all along the riverbank, saffron priests brace themselves for a holy dip. Villages begin to buzz with

routine.

But morning sharpens other shapes and sounds. The high-pitched droning of

drilling machines. Yellow helmets. Vacant fields of concrete. Winds howl insidegrotesque, hollow tunnels. Sunlight is caught in the wedges of turbines, some

churning, some still. Every mega watt of lost electricity costs the nation four to sixcrores.

Meanwhile, children scurry goats across a bridge that will soon be under water.

The warning part of submergence area, can collapse anytime has no

meaning. The goats must be fed; the children must cross.

India has 4,500 large dams. Until recently, the pristine stretch between Uttarkashi

and Gangotri boasted of only one: Maneri Bhali Phase I. But a series of

consecutive hydro-electric projects are now in different stages of construction onthis 125-kilometre stretch. Five major ones threaten the normal existence of the

Bhagirathi, as the majestic Ganga here is called. If they go through as planned, it is feared the Ganga may completelydisappear from large stretches, leaving the riverbed limp and dry.

What is happening in the Bhagirathi valley represents a dangerous mindset sweeping the country: the emphasis of national over

ocal, the glorification of the word development regardless of what it means on the ground, the shift of scarce resources fromcommunities to corporations, the myth that money can compensate sacrifices made by those at the lowest end of the totem

pole, one-dimensional definitions of cost. And the idea that benefits will last forever.

What is happening in the Bhagirathi valley is not only an erosion of ways of living and local cultures, it is an erosion of naturetself. Of life source. It is a movement towards everything industrial, temporary, based on a contract. That is why Attar Singh

Panwar fears being mistaken for a city man. That is why hundreds like him fear the world they have known will vanish forever.

THE REGU

27 NOVEMBER 2011 SUNDAY TEHELKAHINDI.COM TEHELKAFOUNDATIO

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Unnatural seasons: The flow of Ganga downstream of ManeriBhali during winter, when maximum water inside the tunnels

To understand the significance of what is really happening in the Bhagirathi valley, you have to begin your trail with the

controversial Tehri Dam, operational since J uly 2006. The lake

created by the dam stretches for an astounding 60 kilometers. Thewaters are blue, dazzling, dead. Not a wave, not even a ripple. The

Ganga only seems alive again where the Tehri lake ends. But she willnot be allowed to meander free through the spectacular cliffs and

gorges for too long.

At a place called Dharasu, several kilometers ahead, the Ganga is

ntercepted. Steel meshes. Iron beams. A colossal powerhouse. Thiss the tail end of Maneri Bhali Phase 2 Hydel-project that began

operation in January 2008. If you are traveling upstream, stop andhave a last look. From here on, you will witness an apocalypse in the

making. The head of one project follows short on the tail of another.

This means when the projects are done, the Ganga will be cascadingfrom tunnel to tunnel, touching the riverbed for only a few kilometres in

between.

To generate the required 304 MWelectricity at Maneri Bhali IIpowerhouse, water needs to be dropped on the turbines from

considerable height. To achieve this height, the river is made to passthrough a 24-kilometre long tunnel that originates from the head dam

of the hydel project in the city of Uttarkashi.

t is another matter that Maneri Bhali Phase II is only generating 102

MW at present. Or that none of the three operational dams on this stretch Tehri, Maneri Phase I and II have evergenerated electricity on optimum capacity. Or that all hydel projects are given clearance based on the claim that they will

generate power to full capacity 90 percent of the times. Yet, data gathered by SANDRP, a Delhi-based NGO, shows that 89percent of 208 large dams they studied are underperforming significantly, 49 percent generating less than half the projected

output.

This shows that a large number of unviable projects are getting clearance. We need real assessments of real costs and real

benefits. There is no credible mechanism to see only justified projects go through, says Himanshu Thakkar, founder, SANDRP.

But he knows, even if only justifiable projects went through, the apocalypse would still come. As you leave the Maneri BhaliPhase II power house and drive towards Uttarkashi, you could be fooled. It is tempting to think nothing earthly can tamper with

the primordial grandeur of these rolling hills. An atheist might begin to believe in God, or at least in a power far superior than

human capacity. But suddenly, the dense green cover of the mountains gives way to chalkwhite pyramids. J arring heaps of

muck and cement malba extracted from the tunnels are being tumbled into the river. Drive further and sandy fractureseave you perplexed: these are places where the land has slipped, succumbed, a sign that the mountains are not as strong as

they look. There are frequent landslides here, and it is a high earthquake-prone zone.

The river travels on with you to Uttarkashi. The monsoons have replenished the waters now, but in winter, this stretch would

have been dry, the water tunnelled. Locals

say they have crossed it on foot. J al Vidhut Nigam officials tellTEHELKA that they have a minimum discharge policy, that even

during the lean seasons they let out a mere 5-6 cubic meters ofwater per second to maintain the river flow. Compare this to the

8,63,4000 million cubic meters of water that is estimated to flowfrom this Himalayan region annually. It is no surprise that

environmentalists claim these projects are suicidal, that rocks will be

carved no more, that the mighty Ganga will be reduced to a trickleand cease to exist for the 150 million people in this region.

On reaching Uttarkashi, another colossal structure is waiting to

greet you. This is the head of Maneri Bhali Phase II dam. Enter thevillages of J oshiyada and Kansyan nearby and you will know why

the apocalypse will come after all.

To really understand the significance of what is happening in the

Bhagirathi valley, you have to imagine the colossal scale of the river,ts ecosystem, and the dependent human life that is being tampered

with.

The Ganga has been described by the World Wildlife Fund as one of the worlds top ten rivers at risk. It has over 140 fish


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species, 90 amphibian species, and five areas which support birds found nowhere else in the world. The flora and fauna found

along its banks are vital to nutrient and water conservation, and control of soil erosion. 451 million people living in its basin aredirectly and indirectly dependent upon the Ganga.

ENVIRONMENTALISTS SAY the Gangas waters have unique anti-bacterial properties, a kind of self-purifying quality that

makes its waters possess oxygen levels 25 times higher than any other river in the world. This unique quality is destroyedwhen the river is forced to pass through tunnels, where there is no oxygen and sunlight. Hydro-electric projects also alter the

basic composition of the riverbed, creating crucial hyrological and biological changes in the river. For example, water quality

tested at the Maneri Bhali Phase 1 project inlet the water was classified as clean. At the end of the reservoir, the water wasshown to be heavily polluted. According to a mercury analysis report released in May last year by the Central Pollution

Control Board, the Bhagirathi is also being contaminated by increasing levels of mercury.

But that is only the tip of the berg. The Nobel Prize winning report by the International Panel on Climate Change says theGangotri glacier will recede by 80 percent by 2030, reducing the Ganga to a seasonal river. This means that in barely 20

years, there may not even be enough water for the turbines to churn. Yet the government persists with its mammoth projects.

When TEHELKA asked AK Bajaj, Chairman, Central Water Commmision Chairman, for data from water availability andfeasibility tests that is mandatory before projects are cleared, he said, Data of Ganga waters is confidential.

Local groups have been protesting the damming and tunneling of the Bhagirathi for six years ever since these projects were

first given clearance. Yet, this apocalyptic project only got national attention a few weeks ago when Prof GD Agarwal, a notedenvironmentalist and former professor of IIT-Kanpur, declared a fastunto- death. With canny understanding, he referred to

these projects as matricide the killing of Mother Ganga, sacred to Hindus. Swamis from as far as Gangotri trekked downto Uttarkashi, 125 kilometres away, to support him. The result: Uttarakhand CM Major Gen Khanduri agreed to temporarily

stall two projects.

Moving base to Delhi, Agarwal then continued his fast opposing the 600 MW, centrallyfunded NTPC hydel-power project at

Loharinag Pala. He only broke his fast last week when the Power Ministry sent him a note assuring him that a committee willbe formed to ensure the free flow of the Ganga.

But the real situation is far from clear. Speaking to TEHELKA, Union Power Minister SK Shinde said: We have decided the

water flow must be allowed, but the project also must happen. Technically, we have to find out how this can be done, so weve

asked for three months time. A committee is being appointed. Indias sentiments are attached to this river Bhagirathi. I dontwant to play with peoples emotions. That is why we have agreed to find a way out.

The way out, predictably, will be tough to find. Shinde says the 600 MW project cannot be completely cancelled and

construction will continue while the expert committee is formed. An advance of Rs 2,000 crore has been sanctioned. Now youare asking us to stop. I wasnt the minister six years back. when these projects were started. When the BJ P laid the

foundation, nobody opposed it.

What makes all of this more painfully ironic is that Indias push towards a new large dams comes at a time when big dams arebeing decommissioned the world over.

n America alone, 654 dams have been removed so far; 58 more are slotted for removal, many to restore salmon habitat. Infact, the decline of salmon population has led to landmark judgements. Among the most impressive examples are the removal

of the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dam, one of the countrys tallest dams, removed at an estimated cost of $100 million.

The removal of these big dams is an important change in how the nation views its rivers a realisation that a healthy,free-flowing river can be one of a communitys most valuable assets, says Amy Kober of American Rivers, an NGO.

This is not something Indias Power Ministry is ready to understand. Ask Shinde why India continues to promote large damsdespite an international movement against then, and he says, India has a shortage of 30,000 MW. From where are we going

to get that power? Look at China. Look at their Three Gorges dam. When China is doing it, why cant we? For a 1,000 MWproject in Tehri we got so much criticism. If you want electricity, you have to sacrifice something.

Tehri, in fact, is a good example of Indias myopic response to its energy needs. Not a single dam in India has been subjected

to a post-project evaluation. Tehri is the worlds 8th tallest dam. Until March 2008, a sum of Rs 8,298 crore had been spent onthe dam, far outweighing the initial planned costs. Its projected power generating capacity was 2,400 MW. Currently, it is

generating only 1,000 MW, less than half its capacity. J ust last week, siltation in the Sutlej river forced the temporaray closure

of the 1,500 MW Nathpa J hakri hydel project.

BUT TO understand the human tragedy of what is happeningin the Bhagirathi valley, you need to watch Prem Dutt J uyal

as he searches through heaps of faded paper. These aredocuments he has been collecting ever since the land below

his house began to crumble. J uyal is a resident of J alwal

village, located a few kilometers from where Old Tehri oncestood. J alwal and neighbouring villages were not


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Moulded water: The river at Maneri Bhali Phase 1 during the monsoon

Waterfall, man-made: Excess water beingreleased from the Maneri Bhali tunnel

rehabilitated because they were higher than the 840 meter

submergence level of Tehri lake. Yet, for the past year, theirfields have been imploding, and they are dogged by frequent

landslides as the waters of Tehri lake eat into the veryfoundations of their homes. Furthermore, New Tehri town is

250 kilometres from their villages. The markets where theysold their vegetables, the schools they sent their children to,

are all under the waters of Tehri lake. The new ones are out

of reach. They live in crushing isolation. But their demand forrehabilitation has no takers.

According to a detailed study of 54 large dams done by the Indian Institute of Public Administration, the average number of

people displaced by a large dam is 44,182. India has 4,500 large dams. Even if you assume a minimum of 10,000 people

displaced by each dam, this means that 45 million people in India have been displaced due to large dams. In villages likeoshiyada and Kansyan near Uttarkashi, people are just beginning to feel the impact of that particular kind of apocalypse.

t has been six months since Vinoda Devi of Kansyan village started sweeping the floors of a dam office. They said we will

discuss the payment, but I am still waiting.

Surbir Singh Bist, Kansyan village head, went on an indefinite hunger strike and had to be hospitalised. His demand: Dont giveour left-over land to third parties, big companies, hotels. Give us permanent government employment.

n neighbouring J oshiyada village, Badri Semwal has a hardware store on a busy main road. He lives on the top floor. Stand on

his terrace, and you can see the waters

of Maneri Bhali lake creeping up to his home. It is black and dead. A few months

from now, his terrace will be under it. They realised only after they startedchurning the turbines that we also fall in the doob shetra. Now they are

rehabilitating us somewhere in the hills, not to a similar commercial property. How

will I survive?

Other families face the same predicament. J oshiyada market was closed for a

week in February in protest, but no one was there to see.

Driving away from Uttarkashi, towards the head of Maneri Bhali Phase 1, youmight meet Attar Singh Panwar. You might mistake him for a city man. There is

nothing in his faded denim jeans and T-shirt to suggest he has lived for 38 years in

the Himalayan wilderness. He is walking back to his village with packets ofKurKure and a bottle of Bisleri. He recently started working as contract labour for

NTPC. There is nothing about him to suggest he would rather be grazing cattle, orplanting potato and rajma in his lost fields. I was happier when I had my own

and. I had independence. I may have lakhs of rupees now (from thecompensation) but it will soon go. Money comes and goes. Land is permanent, he

says.

Panwar does not think of himself as a city man. He certainly does not aspire to be

one. He has seen what happens when city needs encroached upon his turf. Hissister and brotherin- law died in an earthquake in 1991. So did 72 others from his

village, situated right above a 9- kilometre tunnel supplying water to Maneri BhaliPhase I. I am certain the deaths were so high because of the blasting. It has

made the land more fragile, he says.

Drive further towards Pala village and the apocalypse has already begun. The Pala Maneri tunnel is being drilled a kilometer

away. Houses here have started cracking. Water sources are drying up. The debris from the tunnel has choked naturalsprings.

Something out of his control is making Attar Singh Panwar into a city man. Like hundreds of others, he does not want to be

one. Hed rather believe in the river his family has lived by for generations.

But the Power Ministry would tell him the Northern Grid needs more electricity. So malls across the nation can blink through the

night.

From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 5, Issue 28, Dated July 19, 2008


5 27-11-20

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2011_the Stifled Ganga