Sardar Sarovar Project- Issues And Revamp

This article shall be dealing with the following topics-

1. Environmental effects of the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP).

2. Choosing a better alternative between small dams and large dams.

3. Dismantling dams.

4. Arguments against SSP.

5. The alternative plan.

1. Environmental effects of the project:

1. Effects on the Environment: 

Large dams disturb the fragile ecology of the region, starve the riverbed and the lives dependent on it. They exacerbate pollution and the sea water ingress.

They are unsafe. Koyna dam can finish Satara in 7 minutes if it bursts. 

Seismological aspect : Large dams in general, increase the possibilities of earthquakes. The dam is in a seismically sensitive area. There were earthquakes in Jabalpur (1996) and Kutch (2001) and frequent tremors have been felt in Bhavnagar, Kandhwa and the dam site. 

2. Effect on Forest: 

“Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky”-Khalil Gibran 

13,744 ha of forests capable of supporting over 70,000 people submerged. There is high diversity of rare fauna and flora, local tribes identify 150 species of economic, nutritional and cultural importance to them.

Compensatory afforestation does not preserve the diversity because in case of SSP it is done in Kutch. ( a completely different ecological zone). Hence, there is an inevitable loss. There has been no progress on catchment area treatment and compensatory afforestation. 

In 1983-84, in Gujarat part of the submergence zone, forest was felled by the project authorities (it seems to prevent loss; but actually to avail timber). 

 

 c. Effect on Agriculture:   

13,744 ha of fertile land submerged.

Inundate and saline land along the canals increases the prospects of insect borne diseases.

Digging of the canal causes dumping of muck in the fields along the canals and this adversely affects water availability for hundreds of villages.

 Water logging creates many issues. Because of it, there is no control of the farmer on water and soil hence no control on community resources. This results in  no control on which seeds to sow (compulsion to plant sugarcane and rice, resulting into mono-cropping and also no control on survival of crops. Agriculture depends on the mercy of dam authorities. 

d. Effect on Fisheries:

Disruption of downstream fisheries, breeding grounds of the Hilsa fish, affects 10,000 fisher folk.

2. Small dams vs. Large dams: 

Small because:

• displace less people,

• a network of small dams will irrigate the same area as a big dam and 

• the devastation caused in case of a natural disaster will be less. 

World Bank’s strategy: 

High risk => High reward. 

Its claim that easy and cheap options of storing water have been mostly exploited is baseless. It was aware that the SS dam would cost $ 2,000/person.

3. Dismantling dams: 

Dams do not live forever. Only impermanence is permanent

Reasons for dismantling dams:

A dead/dying dam-

1. gets silted up and thus becomes unproductive,

2. stops producing electricity,

3. causes loss of fisheries, 

4. becomes increasingly unsafe (most common reason),

5. has an increasingly high maintenance cost. (most common reason),

6. may get washed out during storms which causes:

1.  extreme erosion,

2.  excessive sediment disposition and destruction of aquatic habitat and 

3. loss of fisheries. 

It is costly to maintain it or let it break on its own. Hence, it is unwise for us to let the dam get washed out by itself. Larger the dam , the higher the dangers. Eg; Koyna can submerge Satara in 7 mins, if it breaks. 

 In terms of the volume of concrete involved for gravity dams, the Sardar Sarovar dam ranks second largest in the world with an aggregate volume of 6.82 million cu.m. The first is Grand Coule Dam in the USA with a total volume of 8.0 million cu.m. 

The engineering of dam removal is still young. Removing a dam is costlier than building one; especially when the reservoir sediments contain heavy metals and toxics. Yet, while constructing it, the cost of dismantling it is not considered.

In Spite of this, it is becoming progressively popular in the west, esp. in the USA. Grassroots groups have launched campaigns due to which hundreds of dams have been removed.

LEARN FROM MISTAKES!

4. Arguments against SSP:

1. Ultimate justification: 

The SSP will irrigate parched Kutch, Saurashtra & North Gujarat.

But,

• 9.4 % of total cultivable land in Saurashtra may see canals by 2020.

• 1.6% of cultivable land in Kutch will get Narmada water by 2025.

• Kutch and Saurashtra have been given a 2 % share of the total 9 MAF water.

• Plans to start at least 25 sugar factories in the early reaches of the canal will further erode this meager share

• There are plans to sell the water to cities and industries. 

2. Electricity: Installed capacity : 

1,450 MW -installed capacity 

    470 MW- Firm power 

5. The Alternative:

 Many examples in our country show that a series of small projects with unsustainable and inequitable water use have no intrinsic superiority over a large project.

Hence, the large vs. small debate becomes obsolete.

In 1994, Suhas Pranjape , KJ Joy presented the alternative blueprint. 

Following are some of the features of the alternative blueprint: 

The said alternative,
provides rural-urban and intra-sectoral equality in water distribution  
fully utilizes the quantity of water allotted to Gujrat by the tribunal award
has similar power benefits at similar costs
increases the total service area from 18Mha to 41 Mha
provides for a permanent tree cover in about 1/3rd of the service area
reduces submergence by 2/3rds of the current level, brings down the submergence behind the dam by 70 %
improve the quality of water distribution within Gujarat
ensuring sustainability in water use and the benefits
recharges  wells ,ponds , lakes , tanks  
gives the ability to harness water locally
ability to opt for different crop patterns
Storage behind the dam is drastically reduced .Ht. = Full Reservoir Level of 107 m based on post monsoon baseline storage level of 90m (down from an FRL of 140m at present)
The local storage potential is very large, especially in areas where there are scanty rains. This potential can be increased and utilized. Narmada water will be stored in dispersed local surface and ground water storages and the central system would only divert and convey water to these storages through feeder canals. Thus, there would be an integration of local and exogenous water. The small storage systems like ponds, wells and lakes will act as buffer storage systems and will also recharge the groundwater.
The electricity will be generated through run-of-the-river power plants and pumped hydro operation in the post-monsoon period. The post monsoon period the flow will be unbound, maintaining the riparian health. 

The rehabilitation of the outstees is done in the upstream area itself, in an environment familiar to them. It also provides for allocation of the Narmada water in a contiguous zone of 100,000 ha upstream of the dam within which rehabilitation is provided. 

Equity and sustainability: conditions for providing water:

1 cubic metre of Narmada for 1 cu.m of resource created. This ensures that when exogenous water enters an area , the local systems will not die (as happens today ) but will prosper.

Obligations of the state:

Provisions to the People	Intuitional arrangements required to-
Min. water assurance for all families in the service area and protecting livelihood needs before more water is provided as an additional economic service. 1/3rd of the service area be brought under permanent cover – unlike compensatory forestry.  Self management by those who benefit because no top-heavy bureaucracy can fulfill these conditions.	Provide funds for harvesting and harnessing local resources . Including minimal watershed treatment that is twice the service area, is included in the project cost itself.  Empower local communities to satisfy the conditions by ensuring appropriate legislation, policies and incentives .

The alternative is relevant not only to SSP but to all irrigation projects in the country and to the water system as a whole.

The alternative was planned with a baseline height of 90 m and a dam height of 107 m in mind. The dam is taller now but the remodeling of the SSP along these lines is still possible. It is high time that all stakeholders pause and seriously reconsider and review the project and execute a plan that satisfies the legitimate interests of the people in the drought prone areas and advisis. 

With the increase in ht. the benefits of the current plan increase because only power is considered. But with every increase in mtr, the benefits of the said alternative plan decrease because the plan is made for tribals and people in drought-prone areas and increase in displacement will not serve them.

6. Conclusion:

India has a GDP growth of 8% for 4 consecutive years but our social indicators have lagged behind. We rank 126th among 177 countries on the Social development Index. The nation has progressed but the people have lagged behind. Hence, we must not tolerate any harm to the environment (ecology = economy) , top- down approach and those policies which favor only the rich and the companies. 

“At times there's something so precise and mathematically chilling about nationalism. Build a dam to take away water AWAY from 40 million people. Build a dam to pretend to BRING water to 40 million people. Who are these gods that govern us? Is there no limit to their powers?” ― Arundhati Roy, The Cost of Living.

Sustainable and Equitable Irrigation Projects Bill

A bill to standardize the implementation of an alternative solution to irrigation projects in India that include dams. This bill proposes to treat dispersed local storages as the main storage element as the local storage potential is very large, especially in areas where there are scanty rains. The bill aims for an integration of local and exogenous water. 

This bill aims to ensure intra sectoral and rural-urban equity and sustainability of the irrigation projects.  It aims to not see dam related conflicts as ones related to  large versus small, but as a question of the relation between the two. Consequently, a dam shall be used for diverting water for filling and/or refilling local storages. 

“We would emphasise that these aspects of the alternative are relevant, not only to the SSP, but to all irrigation projects in the country, to the water system as a whole.” 

–K. J. Joy and Suhas Paranjape in their book titled - Sustainable Technology, Making the Sardar Sarovar Project Viable: A Comprehensive Proposal to Modify the Project for Greater Equity and Ecological Sustainability . 

WHEREAS, large dams devastate ecology of the area concerned, starve the river bed and the lives dependent on it, cause sea water ingress and become increasingly unsafe as they increase the possibilities of earthquakes.

WHEREAS, the present system of irrigation with the use of large dams affects the occupation of many people as it displaces people and rehabilitates them in completely different surroundings, submerged forests, fertile land, causes salinization of soil and also causes water logging and dumping of muck in the fields. The farmers, thus, have no control on how much to irrigate and in turn what to grow.

WHEREAS, the Department of Irrigation under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and The Central Ground Water Agency under the Ministry of Jal Shakti are currently under different ministries and there is a need of alignment of their vision and objectives with each other, they need to be merged. The interconnectedness of surface and groundwater must be acknowledged and dealt with in a holistic way to ensure sustainability and equitability.

WHEREAS, the bill proposes to make the post monsoon period the flow unbound. One of the important adverse effects of present planning is the post-monsoon drying up of riverbeds downstream of big dams. Since feeder canals proposed in this bill, mainly divert monsoon flows or accumulation and power generation is RoR, the post monsoon flows will be unbound, making for greater riparian health.

Hence, be it enacted by Parliament in the Sixty Sixth Year of the Republic of India as follows:—

CHAPTER 1

PRELIMINARY 

1. a) This Act may be called the ‘Sustainable and equitable irrigation projects Act, 2015‘.

b) This bill shall take effect from whichever date the parliament decides.

2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, 

a) “Local storages” are wells, ponds, lakes and streams.

CHAPTER 2 

ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF IRRIGATION AND GROUNDWATER 

3. The department of Irrigation that is currently under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare shall be merged with the Central Ground Water Agency under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. This department shall be named as Establishment Of Department Of Irrigation And Groundwater and shall function under  the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

CHAPTER 3

DISPERSAL OF STORAGE

4. a) Large storages shall be planned and used properly so that they support smaller and local systems and increase their reliability and sustainability. 

b) The State Governments shall in cooperation create the required physical channels to create such links between the large and small storages. 

c) The State Governments shall, by notification make rules for the maintenance of the same. 

5. a) The traditional local water storages of the service area shall be improvised and developed and new ones shall be built.

b) The above must be done before the completion of construction of  any dams that may be underway on the concerned river.

c) The cost incurred to do the above, shall be included in the project cost.

6.  The exogenous water shall be stored in dispersed local surface and ground water storages; and the central system shall only divert and convey water to these storages through feeder canals. 

7. Water shall be pumped into the local storages of the upstream area so that the local storages shall act as buffer storage systems and shall also recharge the groundwater. 

CHAPTER 4

 ELECTRICITY

8. The electricity shall be generated through run-of-the-river power (ROR) plants and pumped hydro operation in the post-monsoon period. This shall lead to a truly large, dispersed generation and peak load capacity for the power sector.

 CHAPTER  5

 RIPARIAN HEALTH OF THE RIVER

9. The post monsoon period the flow will be unbound. Since feeder canals mainly divert monsoon flows or accumulation and power generation is RoR, the post monsoon flows will be unbound, making for greater riparian health.

CHAPTER 6

 BENEFIT TO THE OUSTEES

10. The rehabilitation of the outstees shall be done in the upstream area itself; in an environment familiar to them this is made possible by reduction in submergence.

11. There shall be allocation of the exogenous water for irrigation and livelihood in the upstream area, in a contiguous zone of one lakh hectares upstream of the dam within which the rehabilitation is provided.

12. Expenses on local employment shall be included in the total cost of the project.

CHAPTER 7

 EQUITY AND SUSTAINABILITY: CONDITIONS FOR PROVIDING WATER:

13. If exogenous water is to become available, both the users and the state must fulfill the following conditions in respect of equity and sustainability. 

1. The water will be available to local systems in proportion to the local resources they harvest and harness. 

2. Minimum water assurance for all families in the service area and protecting livelihood needs before more water is provided as an additional economic service.

3. 1/3rd of the service area is brought under permanent cover – unlike compensatory forestry. 

4. Self management by those who benefit because no top-heavy bureaucracy can fulfill these conditions. This provision is as important as the others because only if the people themselves come together and exercise control can these conditions be fulfilled.

5. The state must provide funds for harvesting and harnessing local resources. Include minimal watershed treatment that is twice the service area is included in the project cost itself. 

6. The state must sufficiently empower local communities to satisfy the conditions by ensuring appropriate legislation, policies and incentives.

An Advice to Retain Power: Isolation is Dangerous.

In this article, we begin by looking outwards as a thesis, looking inwards becomes the anti-thesis and striking a balance between these two becomes the synthesis. This is one among many pieces of advice given to retain power.

 “A fortress seems to be the safest. But isolation exposes you to more dangers than it protects you from “– Robert Green

Few realize that fortresses function in a disempowering way as they are symbols of isolation. Due to this notion, innumerable mistakes have already been committed. We do not need to commit mistakes to learn from them. Following are 3 of such historical mistakes:

Mistakes we must learn from:

1. The story of Tibet

 Past glory: 

Tibetan kingdom was grand, magnificent and powerful and dominated Central Asia covering large parts of modern India, Nepal, and Bhutan in the south and much of Chinese territory.  In 1763, forces of this kingdom conquered the Chinese capital and extracted promises of homage and other such concessions.

Past relationship with China: 

The Jokhang shrine (the holiest place in Tibet) contains a stone monument bearing witness to the historic power of Tibet. Its inscription carved in both Tibetan and Chinese, is an account to this everlasting agreement:

“The Miraculous Divine Lord Trisong Dretsen and the Chinese King Wen Wu Hsiao-te Hwang-ti, … (have signed) this great treaty…to restore the former ancient friendship and mutual regard …on neither side there shall be waging of war or seizing of territory...Between the two countries no smoke or dust shall be seen. There shall be no sudden alarms and the very word ‘enemy’ shall not be spoken .Even the frontier guards shall have no anxiety nor fear and shall enjoy land and bed at their ease. All shall live in peace and share the blessing of happiness for ten thousand years. The fame of this shall extend to all places reached by the sun and moon...” (Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, 1900,p 46)

 It was prepared by Tibet and China in 821-1 AD. China, shamelessly did not stick to its promise and, so conditions today are unfortunate.

Education of the Dalai Lama:

5 major subjects: logic, Tibetan art and culture, Sanskrit, Medicine and Buddhist Philosophy. 

5 minor subjects: poetry, music, drama, astrology, metre and phrasing and synonyms.  

  Surprisingly and unfortunately, the doctorate was awarded wholly based on Buddhist philosophy, logic and dialectics. Religion can be an important component of education but not the single most important element of it. Hence, it was awfully lopsided in numerous ways, was not up to the mark when one thinks about its relevance in statesmanship, politics, defense and tactics of conspiring for power and was utterly inappropriate for a head of a kingdom in the late 20th century. Tathag Rinpoche, the 2nd highest official who was appointed based on his high spiritual learning failed to protect Tibet from Chinese invasion. How was he expected to be successful if he had no training in governance?

One of the greatest war leader and strategist, Chinese Military General Sun Tzu advised the following:

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

  The 14th Dalai Lama was just 15 years old when he was made the head of his country. Then, he did not even know about communism. It was his eldest brother who was sent by the Chinese to kill him who explained to him the communist ideology and the thought process of the Chinese invaders. 

 Plans of the 13th Dalai Lama:

Thupten Gyatso, the 13th Dalai Lama was remarkably competent and far-sighted. He was truly interested in new technology. He imported an electrical generating plant, a mint and 3 cars. These cars made a spectacle, as wheeled transport was absent in the country. He arranged for 4 young Tibetans to be sent to Britain for learning and also reformed the army. These two initiatives proved to be successful though there was no follow-up and continuation after his death. 

He warned the following with deep concern as he emphasized the need to make major changes: 

“It may happen that here in Tibet, religion and government will be attacked both from without and within. Unless we guard our own country, it will now happen that the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lamas, the Father and the Son and all the revered holders of the faith will disappear and become nameless. Monks and their monasteries will be destroyed. The rule of law will be weakened. The lands and property of the government officials will be seized. They themselves will be forced to serve their enemies or wander the country like beggars. All beings will be sunk in great hardship and overwhelming fear; the days and night will drag on slowly in suffering.” (Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, 1900, p 46)

  If Tibet would have incorporated the best of all lands into itself and standardized the 13th Dalai Lamas modernizing initiatives as he intended, for the sake of updating the country; she would have enjoyed independence today and its state of affairs today would be poles apart.

Moral: 

Self – assessment is a must and must follow with making radical changes, even the daring ones, if they are needed to destroy disempowering obstacles.

2) Art needs to be made in communication so that it communicates. 

 In 1545 Dyke Cosimo I de’ Medici commissioned frescoes for the San Lorenzo Church in Florence. He chose Pontormo among many excellent painters available to him. Pontormo wished to make the frescoes his legacy and so, wanted no one to lay eyes on his masterpiece or steal his ideas. Therefore, he closed the chapel off with bulwark.                                                                                                                                          Unfortunately, Pontormo expired before he could complete his work. About his work, Vasari, the great Renaissance writer, wrote “I think I would go mad and become entangled in his painting, just as I believe that in eleven years of time Jacopo spent on it, he entangles himself and anyone else who saw it”. (Robert Green, 1998, p.135) 

Moral:

 Effects of isolation on human mind:

• A complete loss of proportion

• An obsession with detail

• Inability to see the larger picture

  Art made by artists in seclusion does not speak to masses and consequently remains powerless. 

3) Indian military

  India does not have a reputation of effectively shielding the sub-continent as a whole from foreign incursions. 

 India failed mainly because of:  

• Disinterest in military innovation, incompetence and ineffectiveness be it strategies/tactics or design and production of weaponry. Even today she imports most of her arms and ammunition.

• Failure of tactics.

1. Malfunction of Rajput strategies like those of Prithviraj Chauhan

2. Failures of the Maratha Confederacy at the 3rd battle of Panipat

• Ineffective logistic planning and execution. 

1. Hence, we were disappointed in the 1962 war in Arunachal Pradesh.

2. The same reason worked against us in the initial phases of Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka October 1987 and also in the Panipat war.

Moral: 

Martial satisfaction and relaxed approach towards the vital topic of intelligence has been the undoing of Bhartiya kingdoms. For this very reason Kautilya must have had to stress on the worth of information gathering in Arthashastra. It seems that his advice has been obeyed more in breach than in execution. This is proved by failures ever since early time’s up to 1999 in Kargil.

Success stories countries must learn from:

1. Modernization of Japan:

  Since the Meiji restoration in 1868 AD, students are proactively sent abroad to imbibe diverse ideas, technology and knowledge so that they develop their native country using these, there is an amalgamation of a number of ideas and also an understanding about ones standing in the global competition. 

  “Open the window; it is a big world out there” was an advice given by Sakichi Toyoda, founder of Toyota to his Colleagues in 1930’s.  This attitude laid the foundation for Kaizen in Toyota. ‘Kaizen’ means constant improvement (Kai= Change, Zen = good). Kaizen was also influenced by the teachings of the American industrial quality management teachers who had come after WW2 during the Reconstruction of Japan.  

Moral:

 A country will retain power if it evolves and it will evolve by learning from other nations.

2. Bhutan’s balancing act.

“If you want to destroy a people, destroy their religion and their language”

- Italian Nationalist, Giuseppe Mazzini

  There is beauty in difference. The cultural distinctness of a country carves a place for its own identity in this busy world and maintains its individuality. Hence, it is important for us to realize that improving and nurturing culture does not go against modernization but makes a country more powerful and hence is a part of progress.

   Here, Bhutan sets a commendable example. Bhutan’s people never demanded democracy and it was also not forced on it by a foreign country but was introduced because of the confidence, political will and open mindedness of its 4th King, Jigme Singye. On the other hand, he also encouraged focusing on Gross National Happiness, an idea unique to Bhutan. It is based on the Kingdom's Buddhist tradition which believes that there should be balance between physical and spiritual needs. Thus according to them, the key to progress is all round, holistic and balanced development. This is admired as an alternative all over the world by those who are unsatisfied with the conventional growth model.

  Bhutan has maintained a stronghold of its roots as it adapts to the changing times.

Moral:

 While a country learns from the world, she must nurture her indigenous cultures, philosophies and good qualities which makes up her identity. By doing this, she gives the world a chance to learn from her.  

Summation

  Through the above, we can infer how vital it is to maintain friendly relations with the world from the failure of Tibet, avoid isolation like Pontormo as it will lead us to doom, to be innovative, gather information and be constantly improving from the failures of the Indian military .

  We ought to also learn to always be a student from the evergreen learning spirit of the Japanese and to strengthen our roots by looking up to how Bhutan honours its culture and heritage. Even the great works of renowned thinkers, Plato and Aristotle, were highly influenced by the exposure that they were fortunate to avail while they were in exile.

Solitude: An antithesis

  While being in constant touch with the world is fruitful, the importance of solitude cannot be disregarded. Below are some examples to illustrate this point.

1. Tilak wrote Gita Rahasya while he was in solitary confinement in Mandalay, 

2. Nehru wrote letters to his daughter while he was in jail; 

3. Before going to America, Swami Vivekananda meditated for three consecutive days and nights on , the last rock in the sea , Cape Comorin in Kanyakumari [ In this solitude he came upon the belief that the principles of tyaga (renunciation) and seva (service) will bring India back her glory.]  

4. Gandhiji used to maintain maun (restraint on speech) every Monday.  

  Solitude is required to look inwards, meditate, take some rest, contemplate, sort out the tangles of thoughts in our minds and also for self speculation 

Conclusion

  Small doses of solitude are healthy but isolation for a long duration of time is poisonous. Isolation is dangerous because, a country must look outwards to judge itself against others and get an idea about where there is a high scope for improvement, to find solutions in countries grappling with the same questions as it is, to make friends who might help in times of crises and to always be alert from threat and aggressor countries.

  However, as we look outside to learn, let us not be lost, as grass is always greener on the other side but let us explore and bring back home what is best outside and that which is needed at home. This is simply what trade is and not rocket science. However, it is imperative that the home country is open minded and humble enough to accept innovation, good change and whatever is required for its own improvement. It should have a desire to improve and modernize but at the same time be critical, because even diseases and invasive species can come from foreign lands, figuratively and literally speaking . The notion that Indian development must model the western world was naïve (a disease). Every policy inspired from a foreign land should be implemented keeping in mind the home country’s unique strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. 

  Hence, it is unwise to go with the currents of the world without a spine but it is wise to become the fastest fish in water by evolving our organs constantly. A soft branch put in a pipe will bend where necessary, but a hard one will break.  Change is permanent and so one must evolve for survival. It does not necessarily mean copying but means innovation and evolution.