Since
time immemorial man has tried to bring nature under his control. The urge to
control nature emerges from two basic thoughts - (a) that nature is capable of
destruction and creation and so it needs containment (b) and that nature being
plenty of resources can be exploited for development. Construction of dams
throughout the world has its roots in such views of nature. Dams are built to
exploit the hydro-power to generate electricity required for the growth of a
nation. At present construction of mega dams faces lot of opposition from
different quarters of the societies. Debate between the proponents and
opponents of dams pivots around the perceptions of environmental, social and
economic impacts and benefits of mega dams. Mega dams not only causes severe
ecological destruction but also causes serious and long term anthropocentric
problems. Some of the common issues are listed below:
- Displacement and destabilization of communities
- Development seems to be for a particular section built upon the impoverishment of others
- Census of displaced people is always misleading. Official count is always alleged to be lesser than actual figures.
- People who are displaced from project sites tend to be economically, culturally and emotionally devastated by relocation.
- Rehabilitation programmes tends to fail to address the cultural rights of the people.
- Displaced people are poor and politically weak and so are not heard upon by the nation
- Once displaced from the project area, majority of these people disappear into the masses of urban poor and landless and further become politically invisible
The
worst sufferers of displacement from project sites are largely members of
"indigenous and politically marginal communities". Not only violation
of human rights occur but also the cultural rights of these communities are
degraded. These people have built
relationship with their environment and had become a part of social fabrication
which gets severed once displaced from their birthplace. Displaced people face
tremendous psychological turmoil within themselves when they are forced to
leave their own birthplace and homes. "Love of birthplace, no matter how
inhospitable it may appear to outsiders, is recognized as universal human
characteristics". The agricultural
lands and forest lands which are scheduled for inundation are usually the best
available lands in the region and more economically important than their size
or location may suggest. These lands are also culturally important to the
communities than is actually perceived by the project proponents and
planners. More often loss of such lands
lead to loss of cultural heritage of the region. The compensation offered to
the displaced people may be enough to build a house but other new problems
arise with the type of land allotted and the non-accessibility to natural
resources as they had in the past.
Indigenous people have relied on their traditional knowledge in order to
survive on natural resources. If the land provided to them for resettlement is
not arable then they need to find job elsewhere in urban areas. It would be
appropriate to say that they are forced to change their lifestyle and enter
into a workforce of which they know nothing. This further leads to rise in the
unemployment in the region of relocation.
Such
degradation of human life only forces us to think that the one section of the
society enjoys the gains from hydro-power projects while others share the costs
and pains of this development. Cultural rights are as important as any other
human rights. Cultural rights are an expression and requirement of human
dignity. As such their recognition and protection are vital for the sustenance
of any community. Here lies the hidden cost which always remains unaccounted
for in the planning stage of any hydro-power project development. It is the
moral responsibility and constitutional duty of the Government to safeguard its
citizens from any injustice meted out by such development projects and take up initiatives
to preserve the cultural rights and identity of the people.
References:
1. The
Hidden Cost of Hydroelectricity Dams: Cultural Survival, 2010
2. Balancing Pains and Gains . A Perspective Paper on Gender and Large Dams, WCD Thematic Review,2000
3. Heritage at Risk 2001-2002: Dams and Cultural Heritage
