Tuesday, Apr 19, 2005
Tuesday, Apr 19, 2005 |
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Gargi Parsai
DAMS SPELL DISASTER: Author Arundhati Roy speaking during the release of a report in New Delhi on Monday. — Photo: Shanker Chakravarty
NEW DELHI: `Unravelling Bhakra,' a study that assesses the role of what was once hailed as "the temple of resurgent India," explodes the myth of India's first showcase dam's contribution to foodgrains production. The study, done over three years by the Badwani-based Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, points out that Punjab and Haryana had extensively developed agriculture, irrigation and ground water systems that were already contributing to the country's food production before Bhakra became operational in 1954. The Green Revolution, which advocated use of hybrid seeds and chemical inputs, came in 12 years later — which reveals that Punjab's prosperity is not linked to Bhakra, as is made out to justify mega projects.
`Political creatures'
Hailing the study as "immensely important," here on Monday, the writer, Arundhati Roy, said it needed to be questioned why such a study had not been undertaken earlier. "Why studies have not been done is a political question that has to have a political answer: it is all about the battle to control water. That is why all political parties — whether the Left, the Right or the Centre — back big dams. Dams are not just structures for irrigation and generation of power. They are political creatures. The displaced families seem to be the only ones to suffer the consequences of this disastrous model chosen for progress." Making a presentation on the study, the author, Sripad Dharmadhikari, said: "When irrigation from Bhakra commenced, the irrigated area of Punjab and Haryana was already 7.47 million acres feet producing 20 per cent of the wheat in the country, which was three times the irrigated area added by the Bhakra project." The distinguished gathering included L.C. Jain, Arundhati Roy, Ramaswamy Iyer, Himanshu Thakker and Prashant Bhushan. Use of ground water contributes 43 per cent to foodgrains production in Punjab, against only 11 per cent from Bhakra. In Haryana, the mining of ground water contributes 35 per cent, compared to 24 per cent from Bhakra. This has led to the severe problem of waterlogging and salinity affecting not only soil but also infrastructure such as roads and houses. The problem is so intense that it might be irreversible. Contrary to popular belief, between 1990 and 2001-02, the net areas irrigated by canals in Punjab decreased from 1.576 million hectares to 0.987 million hectares, while the net area irrigated by the tubewells increased from 2.33 million hectares to 3.068 million hectares.
Struggle continues
Fifty years and four generations later, Thakur Ajmer Singh of Fatehabad district in Haryana is still struggling for the ownership of the plot of land allotted to him in lieu of his home in Himachal Pradesh that was submerged for the Bhakra dam.He said: "The Government only uproots people. It has no time for rehabilitation. We are into our fourth generation and still not rehabilitated. And after we die our claims will die with us leaving our family in the lurch. This is what we've got for sacrificing our life and livelihood."
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