You regularly get mail asking for a quick read and endorsement. Can I appeal to you to take this one seriously, as many thousands of people are today putting their lives on the line for social and environmental justice in India, and your signature below -- as an individual even -- can amplify their efforts in the international fora where these struggles often get decided.
In the event you haven't seen anything about the Save the Narmada movement, this will inspire you. Since on Pen-L there has been interesting debate about the merits of the LM-linked movie Against Nature, and since that film described opposition to the Narmada dams as essentially coordinated from the offices of Northern environmental groups, the documentation here of extraordinary mass mobilisations -- particularly led by women farmers -- helps to set a crucial record straight. We had a seminar earlier this year in Johannesburg about this movement, and it helped to stir up terrific energy and opposition to massive, unnecessary World Bank funded dams in Southern Africa. The Save the Narmada movement is one of the world's finest, at present.
Please do give this a look-over and send a note of support to patrick at irn.org...
Thanks much! Patrick Bond
------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date: Mon, 4 May 1998 14:14:01 -0800 From: patrick at irn.org (Patrick McCully) Subject: Reminder: Maheshwar Declaration Endorsements To: irn-wcd at igc.apc.org
NB The deadline for endorsements is this Thursday. List of endorsements received by Monday May 3 is appended at end of message. A translation of the Declaration in German and summary in Spanish are available.
PLEASE ENDORSE THIS DECLARATION!
International Rivers Network and Narmada Bachao Andolan/Save the Narmada Movement have prepared the following declaration on Maheshwar Dam. The declaration will be addressed to all Indian and foreign public and private sector bodies supporting the project.
We are seeking endorsements to the declaration from groups in India and around the world. If you are able to add your endorsement please send us your name and institutional affiliation by Thursday, May 7. Please reply to patrick at irn.org.
The NBA is currently working on raising awareness and support within India for the Maheshwar struggle and are planning their next mass action at the dam site.
THANK YOU! -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
DECLARATION IN SUPPORT OF THE STRUGGLE FOR THE PROMISED SUSPENSION OF CONSTRUCTION ON THE MAHESHWAR DAM, MADHYA PRADESH, INDIA
NOTING THAT:
1. Maheshwar Dam would submerge 5000 hectares of land, displacing 2200 families and harming the livelihoods of thousands more. Families whose land has been seized have received inadequate - and illegal - levels of compensation. No resettlement plan exists. Local people have opposed the seizure of their land and have requested the Narmada Bachao Andolan/Save the Narmada Movement (NBA) to join them in their struggle to defend their rights.
2. Following a year-long struggle, the Government of Madhya Pradesh (GoMP) on January 30, 1998, issued a written order announcing that it would suspend construction on the dam pending a comprehensive review of its costs, benefits and alternatives. This announcement met the demands of the NBA who called off a dam-site occupation by thousands of local people and a hunger strike. A Task Force previously established to review the Narmada Valley Development Project, and including representatives from the GoMP, NBA and academia, has been directed to carry out this review.
3. At a special meeting of the Task Force on March, 4, 1998, the project developer, S.Kumars, urged to be allowed to restart construction at Maheshwar for "safety purposes". The NBA opposed this request believing that it is a ruse to allow work to continue and thus reassure investors that the project will not be significantly delayed. However on March, 11, 1998, GoMP issued a notification allowing "any work for the purposes of safety and resettlement".
4. In early April, S.Kumars restarted work, including blasting, at Maheshwar under protection of a force of around 1500 police and prohibitory orders banning protestors from the dam site. On April 22, several thousand people recaptured the dam site. Police arrested hundreds of villagers and prevented drinking water tankers from reaching the protestors despite the 42 degree centigrade heat and lack of shelter, forcing people to drink oil-contaminated river water. In the evening police arrested those remaining at the site, bringing the total of the day's arrests to around 1200.
5. The following day, hundreds more people dodged police barricades and once again took over the site. The police, without warning or provocation, reacted with brutality, repeatedly beating the peaceful protestors with batons and rifle butts, charging them on horseback, and using sexually abusive language against women protestors. Several tear gas shells were fired. By the evening of April 23, around 1500 people were in jail and around 23 in hospital, some with serious injuries. Work is currently continuing under the protection of the prohibitory orders and a massive police presence.
6. The concession to build and operate the 400 megawatt Maheshwar Dam on the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh state in central India has been given to a private company, S.Kumars. Preliminary work on the project began in 1996. The dam is scheduled to be completed in 2002. S.Kumars are receiving numerous public subsidies and guarantees to ensure that private investors will make a profit from Maheshwar while the sizeable financial risks of the project are borne by the public sector. The NBA and independent energy experts have challenged the economic and technical viability of the project, which will be one of the main subjects in the ongoing review.
7. According to an S.Kumars document dated 17 December, 1996, and other sources, financing for the project will come from:
a) German bank Bayerische Vereinsbank and probably Export Credit Agency, Hermes-Buergschaften.
b) US energy utility PacifiCorp. A former subsidiary of PacifiCorp, Pacific Generation Co. (PacGen), has worked with S.Kumars on structuring the financing package for Maheshwar and is listed to be one of the largest equity holders in the project. Although PacifiCorp sold PacGen in November 1997 they have retained their interest in Maheshwar.
c) Power Finance Corporation, a specialized financial institution wholly owned by the Government of India. PFC funders include the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, US Agency for International Development and UK Overseas Development Agency.
d) Industrial Finance Corporation of India
e) State Bank of India
f) Dena Bank
8. Siemens AG and ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd. are believed to have signed contracts to supply generating and other equipment for the dam. S.Kumars has requested both companies to buy equity in the project.
THEREFORE, THE UNDERSIGNED ORGANIZATIONS
Condemn the repression of peaceful protests at Maheshwar Dam and the breaking of the Madhya Pradesh government's written commitment to suspend construction work.
Call on the Madhya Pradesh government to cease the repression at Maheshwar and to reinstate their commitment to suspend construction pending the results of the Task Force's review.
Call on S.Kumars to immediately cease all work on Maheshwar Dam and to only restart work if the Task Force concludes that the dam should be built and local people agree with this conclusion.
Call on Power Finance Corporation, Industrial Finance Corporation of India, State Bank of India, Dena Bank and Bayerische Vereinsbank to make public announcements condemning the use of violence against peaceful protestors and guaranteeing that they will only lend to or invest in the Maheshwar Project if the Task Force reaches a consensus that the dam should be built and local people agree with this conclusion.
Call on Hermes-Buergschaften to make a public announcement condemning the use of violence against peaceful protestors and guaranteeing that they will only guarantee loans to the Maheshwar Project if the Task Force reaches a consensus that the dam should be built and local people agree with this conclusion.
Call on PacifiCorp to make a public announcement condemning the use of violence against peaceful protestors and stating that they no longer support the project and would only reconsider their involvement if the Task Force reaches a consensus that the dam should be built and local people agree with this conclusion.
Call on ABB and Siemens to make a public announcement condemning the use of violence against peaceful protestors and withdrawing their involvement in the project until such a time as the Task Force reaches a consensus that the dam should be built and local people agree with this conclusion.
Endorsed by
INSTITUTIONAL ENDORSEMENTS
AUSTRALIA: Lee Rhiannon, AID/Watch
CANADA Dianne Murray, Dam-Reservoir Working Group, Carleton University
CHILE Cristian Opaso, Grupo de Accion por el Biobio
HUNGARY Janos Vargha, Danube Circle
ITALY Laura Radiconcini, Amici della Terra Francesco Martone & Liliana Cori, Campagna per la Riforma della Banca Mondiale/Crocevia
MALAYSIA Elizabeth Wong, SUARAM
NEPAL Shobhakar Budhathoki, INHURED International Arjun K. Karki, Rural Reconstruction Nepal
NORWAY Oyvind Eggen, FIVAS - Association for International Water and Forest Studies
PAKISTAN Aly Ercelawn & Muhammad Nauman, Citizens Alliance in Reforms for Efficient and Equitable Development Mishka Zaman, SUNGI Foundation
SWITZERLAND Peter Bosshard, Berne Declaration
TAIWAN Charlie Soong, Meinung People's Association
UNITED STATES Soren Ambrose, Alliance for Global Justice Ali Mir, Association of South Asian Progressives, Indiana George Cofer, Barton Springs Coalition Dana Clark, Center for International Environmental Law George Cofer, Central Texas Environmental Network Patrick McCully, International Rivers Network Colin Rajah, Overseas Development Network Bruce Rich, Environmental Defense Fund Andrea Durbin, Friends of the Earth U.S. Kristin Dawkins, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy Danny Kennedy, Project Underground Laura Soriano Morales, South and Meso American Indian Rights Center Larry Williams, Sierra Club Shawn Garvey, South Yuba River Citizens League Smita Malpani, Women's Environment and Development Organization Mark Dubois, WorldWise
URUGUAY Silvia Ribeiro, REDES-Amigos de la Tierra Uruguay
INTERNATIONAL Marcus Colchester, Forest Peoples Programme, World Rainforest Movement Maurizio Ferrari, World Rainforest Movement Saskia Ozinga, FERN
INDIVIDUAL ENDORSEMENTS (INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATIONS FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES ONLY)
AUSTRALIA Dr George J. Aditjondro, University of Newcastle Misha Coleman, Monash University
CANADA Ana Ning, York University Mike Zmolek, York University
INDIA Professor Dr. N Bhattacharya, Delhi University Amit Mitra Shikhar Sarkar Garg, Institute of Rural Management, Anand, Gujarat G.V. Krishnagopal, Institute of Rural Management, Anand, Gujarat Apurba Misra, Institute of Rural Management, Anand, Gujarat Himanshu Thakker
MEXICO Scott S. Robinson, Universidad Metropolitana
SOUTH AFRICA Patrick Bond, University of the Witwatersrand Professor Bryan R Davies, University of Cape Town Rebecca Tharme, University of Cape Town
UNITED KINGDOM Gautam Appa, London School of Economics George Monbiot, University of East London Lyla Mehta, Institute for Development Studies, Sussex University B. Skanthakumar, School Of Oriental And African Studies, London University
UNITED STATES Nikhil Aziz, University of Denver Robert M. Ballenger, University of Washington Sharvey Dhongde, Architect, Intern at Archeworks, Chicago Rob Efird, University of Washington Kaushik Ghosh, University of Washington Amitava Kumar, University of Florida, Gainesville Guy Lanza, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Samantha Lindsey, University of Washington Bela Liptak, editor Environmental Engineers' Handbook John Magistro, National Center for Atmospheric Research Manabi Majumdar, Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies Susan Mayer, Humboldt State University. Raza Mir, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Aravinda Pillalamarri, University of Wisconsin, Madison Mahua Sarkar, Johns Hopkins University V. Kripa Sundar Hairong Yan, University of Washington