BBC Hindi
BBCThousands of people in the northern Indian state of Madhya Pradesh are protesting against a multi-million-dollar river-linking task which, they say, may rob them of their houses and lives.
The Ken-Betwa project, with a budget of 440bn rupees ($ 5.06bn, £4.05bn ), will channel excess water from the Ken river in Madhya Pradesh to the Betwa river in the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh state through a network of tunnels, canals and a dam.
The first of 16 river-linking initiatives designated in India’s 1980s National Perspective Plan for developing ocean resources is this. Before the government approved the schedule in 2021, the plan experienced numerous delays, primarily due to environmental concerns and political issues.
In December of last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the groundwork for its development.
The project aims to aid the drought-stricken Bundelkhand area, which includes components of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, where decades of hunger and poverty have been caused by an arid environment and unpredictable snowfall patterns.
When finished in 2030, the government claims that it will help fertilize 1.06 million hectares of land, supply drinking water to 6.2 million people, and produce 130MW of hydro and renewable energy.
But at least 10 villages, including large swathes of beautiful woodland property, may be submerged to create the groundwater pond and 11 more villages may be displaced for constructing the river, affecting more than 7, 000 families, district officials say.
We don’t know what the future holds for us again because of how closely our lives are tied to this area, according to Tulsi Adivasi, one of the thousands of people who are protesting the job.
The aboriginal Gond and Kol clans, who primarily depend on farming for a living, are the majority of them.
Climate experts warn that the project will encircle the Panna Tiger Reserve, a 543 square miles sanctuary that saved tigers from local extinction in 2009, by nearly 98 square kilometers ( 38 square miles ).
This may halt years of restoration work. ” It’s exceptional. Environmentalist Amit Bhatnagar claims that we have never seen such a large-scale equipment task being carried out in a national park’s base.
In 2019, a panel of experts constituted by India’s top prosecutor had even raised fears about the job, questioning its financial viability and influence on the state’s animals. The state, it said, may discover other watering techniques in the river valley.
Separate research on river-linking projects in India have made similar observations.
A 2023 study published in the Nature Communications journal states that such endeavours “may worsen the water stress across the country, making these projects ineffective or possibly even counterproductive”.
Baleshwar Thakur, who heads the National Water Development Agency, but, defended the job, saying officials had conducted a thorough analysis and acquired all economic approvals for the job.
He added that” we have also designated additional land to help with the restoration of other species affected by the project as well” in order to offset the loss of tiger habitats.
The government official stated that the project’s benefits outweigh the negative effects, but that there might be a potential” challenge” to the region’s biodiversity.
The assurances have not been much of a comfort to the villagers.
In the heart of Daudhan, 48-year-old Mahesh Adivasi sat with a group of men, who voiced their dissent in the form of a protest song.
” Ken-Betwa dam is built by the government, it gives others water but drowns us”, they sang, the lyrics capturing their anguish.
Without basic amenities like clean drinking water and electricity, the village, one of the region’s poorest areas, is.
The bitter irony of the river project is still relevant to its residents who ask why they are being asked to leave their homes to use electricity in 13 other districts when their own village has never had power.
” We have seen generations pass without progress. Now, we are being asked to sacrifice our lives for others ‘ progress. What about us”? Mahesh Adivasi said.
The government has offered villagers an optional compensation plan, where they can either opt for a piece of land along with 750, 000 rupees ($ 8, 655, £6, 842 ) or a one-time payout of 1, 250, 000 rupees. An additional sum will be provided for those who own land and are based on the land’s value.
According to Mr. Thakur, 90 % of people opted to pay in one lump sum. ” In the meantime, the government has started looking for alternative government land to resettle the villagers”, he added.
But locals say the amount being offered is insufficient. Tulsi Adivasi showed a government notice to BBC Hindi that listed his home’s price at 46, 000 rupees.
Can you build a house with this much money? he asked.
Others complain that they haven’t been informed when they must leave or where they’d be resettled, which adds to worries about their future.
” The project should have been a blessing for our village but, the truth is, it will plunge us further into darkness”, said Lakshmi Adivasi, 20.
Additionally, the claim that the project is intended to channel excess water from the Ken river has suspense raised questions.
Critics point out that the government has relied on outdated data from 2003, without independent verification, to calculate the river’s annual yield.
Mr. Thakur refuted the claim and claimed that the authorities “have all the information to carry on the project.”
Mr Bhatnagar, the environmentalist, said that by going ahead with the project, the government was setting” a dangerous precedent” for similar development programmes to be carried out in other geologically sensitive areas.
” And for those affected, it once again underscores how development in India often comes at the cost of the most marginalised”, he added.
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