Indian Initiative

8/13/2019 Indian Initiative

1/46

INDIAS EFFORTS FOR

ENVIRONMENTALPROTECTION


2/46

Indias Realization

Failed to recognize & visualize the need

After Stockholm Conference

Indias Fourth Plan (1969-1974)


3/46

Constitutional Provision

Within 5yrs of Stockholm Conference

India amended constitution (42ndconstitutional amendment to 1976)

To include environment protection as a

constitutional obligation

it shall be duty of every citizen of India to

protect & improve the natural environmentincluding forests, lakes, rivers, & wildlife andto have compassion for living creatures


4/46

NCEPC

National Committee on EnvironmentalPlanning & Commission

It was concerned with developmentprojects, surveys of ecosystems, spread ofenvironmental education etc


5/46

Tiwari Committee onEnvironment

In 1980

Appointed by Govt. of India

Recommendations of the committee: Introducing Env. Protection in the

concurrent list of seventh schedule

Establishment of separate Dept. ofEnvironment (Nov 1, 1980)


6/46

NATIONAL COMMITTEEON ENVIRONMENTAL

PLANNING Replaced NCEPC

Preparation of annual State of

Environmental Report for the country To sponsor environmental research

To propagate environmental awareness

through mass media Arranging public hearings & conferences


7/46


8/46

Environment (Protection)

Act, 1986.To prevent & control pollutionAs an aftermath of Bhopal Tragedy, 1984

The Environment (Protection) Act (EPA)1986 waspassed for the protection of environment,

regulation f discharge of pollutants, handling of

hazardous substances, speedy responses in the

event of accidents threatening environment& punishments to those

Who endanger human

Env, safety & health.


9/46

Policy Statement on Env. &Development

Laid down guidelines to weaveenvironmental considerations into thefabric of national life & development

process

Key words are conservation & sustainabledevelopment


10/46

ENVIRONMENTAL

MOVEMENTS IN INDIA


11/46

The Narmada am in India


12/46

Narmada means ever-delightful, one of the holiest rivers in thecountry of India

they say that even the site of the river will cleanse all of yoursins

The Narmada River


13/46

The Narmada Dam ProjectThe first of the dams to be built is the Sardar

Sarovar. It is considered to be one of the mostimportant dams in the project and the biggestwater development project in India

According to the government, the Sardar SarovarDam will do the following: Provide safe drinking water to 30 million people

Irrigate 4.8 million hectares of land

Produce 550 megawatts of power Provide 1,300 cubic-meters of water per yr.for municipal

and industrial purposes

Provide a drainage system to carry away floodwaters

It will also take the land of 320,000 people


14/46

Social and Economic Implications of DamsRelocation ofcommunities:

- impacts on health, & economic,social, cultural well-being

Loss of communitycontrol over water:

- transfer of control from local levelto central government or corporate

control

Diseases: - encouraged by dam projects(creating habitat for parasites),

Increasing cost ofdams:

- problems encountered in buildingdams (ex. sedimentation).

- cost of mitigating social,environmental impacts.- delays- best sites already taken -- onlymore remote, more difficult sites left.


15/46

Opponents

Dalits and Adivasi (indigenous people). In accordance to their castesystem they are often referred to as untouchables. Many of thesepeople are uneducated and very few can read and write.

Narmada Bachao Andolan, the Save the Narmada Movement (NBA).The movement started in 1986 when the World Bank lent India $450million for the Sardar project. It was started by a social worker namedMedha Patkar. She is the representative for the NBA movement.


16/46

Opponents

Arundhati Roy; Booker Prize-winning author supporter of the Savethe Narmada Movement; wrote a book about the Dams in Indiacalled The Greater Common Good.

Baba Amte; a social worker whose work with leprosy has earnedhim much respect in the country among the tribal people andgovernment officials.

Nobody builds Big Dams to provide drinking water to ruralpeople. Nobody can afford to.

Arundhati Roy


17/46

Proponents

Indian Government supports the building of dams

The World Bank supported the Sardar Sarovar Dam Project andloaned India $450 million. They withdrew from the project after anindependent review confirmed social and environmental impactswere increasing.

The Supreme Court of India has ruled on the Sardar Sarovar Dam.In 1995 they suspended work on the dam because the heightexceeded the amount originally planned, 75m. In 1999 they orderedwork to continue up to the height of 85m. Then in Oct 18, 2000 theyruled in favor of building the Sardar Sarovar despite global protests


18/46

Why did the World Bankwithdraw the loan?

It was a protest by theNBA called 'satyagraha'that caught the WorldBanks attention.

They sent in anindependent review teamheaded by Hugh Brody, aBritish anthropologist andDonald Gamble, aCanadian environmentalengineer.


19/46

Environmental Impacts

Threat to aquatic habitat barriers for fish passage,water quality is affected because of change in land usecan also affect aquatic life

Water loggingexcess water in the soil and can renderthe soil useless. This could affect 40% of the area to beirrigated.

Salinisationwhen irrigation water has more salinecontent and adds more salt to the system. This happens

because the land to be irrigated is an arid area and notused to so much water. This impacts the flora and faunaand makes the water not suitable for drinking.


20/46

Health Impacts

Outbreak of diseasesthe concern of an increase inmalaria because of the increased reservoirs and waterlogged lands, which are prime locations for mosquitoesto breed.

Authorities have suggested pesticides but there isconcern for humans ingesting the pesticide.

Another disease on the rise is TB because of theincreasing number of people being moved out of their

villages because of dams. The shanty towns they moveto have no running water and no plumbing.


21/46

Social Impacts

There was no social impactsassessment before the damproject started. The WorldBank tried to do anassessment after the damproject started but foundthat there was a severeshortage in baseline data.

One of the main problems

that came up was the lack ofcommunication between thestate and the people whowere to be affected by theproject.


22/46

The Chipko Movement


23/46

Resistance to destructionof forests spread in the

hills of Uttaranchalin1970s

Place of origin -

Gopeshwar in DistrictChamoli.

First Chipko action March1974 in Reni village.


24/46

Chipko means tree hugging or embraceas

the villagers hugged the trees.

Locally it is called asAngwal.

The movement is best known for its tactic ofhugging trees to prevent them being cut

down and to prevent commercial timberharvesting.


25/46

Background

Government's decision to allot forest trees to a sportsgoods company.

The local residents in Gopeshwar were denied the

similar demand of getting few trees, required for making

farm tools.

Mr. Chandi Prasad Bhatt of Dasoli Gram SwarajyaSangh(DGSS)wanted to establish small industries using

forest resources, with an aim to provide job opportunities

to local youth and check migration.


26/46

Founder of Chipkomovement.

Organized rallies to protectthe forest from mass

destruction.

Chandi Prasad Bhatt


27/46

Let them know we will not allow the fellingof a single tree. When their men raise theiraxes, we will embrace the trees to protect

them.

- Chandi Prasad Bhatt


28/46

The birth of chipko movement

Gaura Devi(an elderly woman)

Head of the villageMahila Mangal Dal.

Mobilized village women

for the movement whencompany men marchedto cut the trees.


29/46

Gaura Devi stood onway and declared:

The forest nurtures us

like a mother; you will

only be able to use

your axes on it butyou have to use them

first on us.

Th di f
http://bostonglobalaction.net/UK/nandadevi/chipko.html


30/46

The spreading of movement

Sunder Lal Bahuguna(Environmentalist)

Enlightened the countryand out world about themovement, its successand environmental impact.

Padmabhushan winner forhis contribution in the

movement.


31/46

Sparking off of the movement

Chandi Prasad Bhatt

Sunder Lal Bahuguna

Sarla Bahen from Lakshmi Ashram

Women groups

the Uttarakahand Sangharsh Vahini (USV)


32/46

took part in different rallies and

gatherings

highlighted the importance of trees in

the life of human beings.

active in protecting the forests fromauctions for commercial cuttings


33/46

Success of Chipko movement

The movement has spread to many states in thecountry.

It stopped felling of trees in the Western Ghatsand the Vindhyas.

Generated pressure for formulation of a naturalresource policy.

Achieved a major victory in 1980 with a 15-yearban on green felling in the Himalayan forests

More than 1,00,000 trees have been saved fromexcavation.

Started protecting forest slopes and Restoringbare ones.


34/46

Success of Chipko movement

Afterward environmental awarenessincreased dramatically in India.

New methods of forest farming have been

developed, both to conserve the forestsand create employment.

By 1981, over a million trees had been

planted through their efforts. Villagers paid special attention in care of

the trees and forest trees are being used

judiciously.


35/46

Recognition

Chandi Prasad Bhatt- Raman Megasesseyaward

Sunder Lal Bahuguna- Padma BhusanAward


36/46

As a diverse movement with diverse

experiences, strategies, and motivations,

Chipko inspired environmentalists both

nationally and globally and contributedsubstantially to the emerging philosophies

of eco-feminism and deep ecology and

fields of community-based conservation

and sustainable mountain development.


37/46

The Silent Valley Project

Initiation by Kerela Sastra Sahita Parishad

Against the hydroelectric project thatwould destroy forest land, home to rare &genetically rich evergreen forests

Dam on Kuntipuzha river

At instance of PM Indira Gandhi, projectwas scrapped in 1983


38/46


39/46

In simple words Non-governmental organization:an organization that is not part of the local orstate or federal government

NGO is a non-governmental organization and, inits broadest sense, is one that is not directly part

of the structure of government


40/46

Mediators between govt & citizens

Work at grassroot level

Get funding from govt or charities Eg: world wide fund, Greenpeace

Create websites for information

Bring social reforms


41/46

Greenpeace effort

Shell, the oil giant, was wanting to dumpits worn out oil ship, the Brent Spar inNorth Sea

Greenpeace organized a boycott ofservice stations of Shell in Germany

Sales fell, they adopted another way of

disposal of Brent Spar


42/46

An Indian NGO, Sulabh InternationalSocial Service Organization is doing

commendable work on Human Waste

Taiwan wanted to buy a piece of and inNorth Korea to dump its nuclear waste.The Korean Federation of EnvironmentalMovement opposed this move &

succeeded


43/46

Apart from "NGO", often alternative termsare used as for example: independentsector, volunteer sector, civil society,grassroots organizations, transnationalsocial movement organizations, privatevoluntary organizations, self-helporganizations and non-state actors (NSA's).

Non-governmental organizations are a heterogeneous


44/46

Non governmental organizations are a heterogeneousgroup. A long list of acronyms has developed around theterm "NGO".

CSO: CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATION,DONGO: DONOR ORGANIZED NGO,ENGO: ENVIRONMENTAL NGO,INGO: INTERNATIONAL NGO,


45/46


46/46

Documents

Indian Initiative