Developmental Blues
Somewhere in the midst of our Himalayan sojourn, the sight
of a river-crossing riveted my attention. A cable-car made of wood connected to
both sides of the River Ganga by thin steel wire was being maneuvered by a
small boy. The cradle-like contraption was full of his mates, all school-going
children doing the crossing at seventeen feet height with great difficulty. The
little navigator pulled the steel wire quite strenuously and eventually reached
the other side. Oddly enough, half of the road had been washed away by the
devastating floods, three years back. It was a painful sight to watch the kids touching the
ground.
Further up, a private company named Jayaprakash Power Ventures Ltd. was
erecting a HEP (Hydro Electric Power) generating station which itself got
partially washed away in 2013. However they were in no mood to wind up. How this HEP was going to affect the lives of those school children, I wondered. They would
leave the school, I was sure, maximum at plus-Two level to take up farming. The
home-grown farmer was sure to fail as his fields would be perennially starved
for water. The deforestation for mega
projects resulted in soil erosion already. Agricultural land had been degraded.
The water-table was at a much lower level due to “Run of the River”
constructions. Water from the reservoir is channelized through
‘penstokes’ (pipes having extra large diameter ) to make the turbines rotate which are kept at the ground
level. The water-flow through the river from the dam to the Generating Station is more or less blocked. The fragile ecology of the village is affected beyond repair. Blasting
of the country side still goes on. Excavation is unabated. Heavy equipment and machinery constantly move through the crumbly roads sinking them
further. Obviously the roads are built
with no Performance Guarantee and hence the quality of construction is far
inferior. This is a major cause for landslides. The poor farmer is at peril
throughout. The ability of his land to support vegetation is coming to naught
(Desertification).
The livelihood issue is paramount because Himalayas are home
to more than 10 % of India’s population. There are 15 crores people living in
the mountains and foothills. About 30 crores people live in the adjacent plains.
The total of 45 crores people is no small a figure. Moreover the rights of
indigenous people are protected by the Constitution. Nobody can afford to ignore livelihood-issues.
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| The Unbearable Weight of Being ! |
It is downright foolish to
assume that the Himalayan geology can withstand any construction activity. The
soil consists mainly of Mica on which no structure can be built safely. But, it’s
a free-for-all going on at present.
There are a total of 400 HEPs envisaged in the Himalayan
region generating a total of 1,60,000 MW. Uttarkhand on the Ganga basin alone
has identified 70 odd HEPs with a total generating capacity of 10,000 MW. Ecology
and Hydrology would be definitely affected. In fact the massive power projects will not service the
local people. That’s the saddest part. For the local populace to get benefited, the Government
should build a network of small and micro HEPs (below 25 MW). Those SHEPs can
be placed at load-centers, i.e., the place where there is maximum demand for
electricity. Long transmission lines are
no more required in this set-up. Electricity can be distributed locally. The
advantage is that there is a great reduction in Transmission and distribution
loss. Together they account for 30 % of the electricity generated in our
country. (Ideally it should not cross 12%).
The second developmental activity is the construction of
roads. Roads are being constructed even upto the main gate of pilgrim centres.
What’s the idea? Why no buffer zone?
On an average, there are 75 mountaineering expeditions,
25,000 trekkers and 2.5 crore pilgrims visit Gangotri glacier every year. They
litter the whole place and never take back non-degradable items. Massive hotels
are being constructed for them. However, home-stays are not promoted. We wanted
to live in home-stays but couldn’t find any.
Everything for DEVELOPMENT’s sake.
Tail-piece
If you want to make an omelet, you got to break an egg.
That’s the problem, we need to question our desire for omelets.
If you break too many eggs, there will be no more omelets.
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