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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7 2006 Press Contacts
Ravi Kuchimanchi 1-216-534-4889, khiyali@gmail.com
Aniruddha Vaidya 1-650-996-8249, asvaidya@gmail.com
Kirankumar Vissa 1-240-485-8404, kiranvissa@aidindia.org Sardar Sarovar construction in July monsoons dangerous and illegal - NRI group cautions PM Association for India's Development has urged the Prime Minister to take action against continuing construction of Sardar Sarovar dam. In an urgent letter to the PM [1], enclosed below, they state that as the monsoons have already raised the reservoir level to 111 m, there is a strong risk of the river overflowing the dam and damaging the freshly constructed sections, resulting in flooding in Gujarat. Further, the Gujarat government has not been issued permission[2] to construct beyond June 30, 2006. According to media reports [3] on July 4th referring to an invitation to the US by Gujarati NRIs, Mr. Ashok Gajjar, executive engineer of SSP, "said the work on the dam would continue without break till the dam overflows." Such an approach by the engineers is alarming since it involves a big risk of damage to the dam
With the monsoon intensifying and the Narmada water levels already at 111 meters, any further construction in July could pose a danger to those living downstream in Gujarat, in towns like Bharuch, and numerous villages. Concrete takes 14-21 days to cure and strengthen. If the water levels reach 119 m before that, the dam will overflow. This could lead to the breaking of the dam, submerging the downstream areas in Gujarat.In March 2006, the Narmada Control Authority gave permission[2] for construction on Sardar Sarovar dam, but only up to the end of June. The NCA order from its 76th meeting on March 8, 2006 says, "The project authorities should comply with the conditions laid down by the two Sub-groups of NCA and complete the above construction by the end of June, 2006." However the construction continued in July and the status of the dam as of 5th July is that its height is 118 –119 m. In March 2006, the Narmada Control Authority gave permission[2] for construction on Sardar Sarovar dam, but only up to the end of June. The NCA order from its 76th meeting on March 8, 2006 says, "The project authorities should comply with the conditions laid down by the two Sub-groups of NCA and complete the above construction by the end of June, 2006." However the construction continued in July and the status of the dam as of 5th July is that its height is 118 –119 m People across India have been concerned about the problem of submergence without rehabilitation in the Narmada valley, and the callous approach of the dam authorities could cause even more damage downstream in Gujarat. About AID: The Association for India's Development (AID) is a 501 (c)(3) charitable non-profit organization with 35 chapters in the US. AID is committed to the cause of addressing the causes of poverty in India through people's empowerment, self-reliance and volunteerism. AID supports various social developmental efforts in areas such as community health, education, sustainable livelihoods, watershed development and environmental issues. AID is in solidarity with grassroots people's movements such as the Narmada movement and the Bhopal campaign. References: 1) Letter from Association for India's Development to the Prime Minister of India, dated July 7, 2006. Attached below. 2) Order of Narmada Control Authority from its 76th meeting on March 8, 2006.
http://nca.gov.in/forms_pdf/ssp%20status%20march06.pdf Excerpt:
"The Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) is permitted to raise the height of the spillway of Sardar Sarovar dam to EL 121.91 m as per the approved design. The project authorities should comply with the conditions laid down by the two Sub-groups of NCA and complete the above construction by the end of June, 2006. The project authorities should ensure that the non-overflow blocks are raised to safe elevations or suitable measures are taken so as to avoid over topping of these blocks. Particular care is to be taken by all the party States in preparing the contingency plans to provide timely safeguards in case of any untoward incident and to ensure that there is no submergence before rehabilitation." 3) Indian Express, July 4, 2006. Gujarati NRIs' meet in US to focus on Narmada issue http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=191129 Letter from Association for India's Development (AID) to the Prime Minister of India To July 7,2006 Dr. Manmohan Singh,
Prime Minister of India,
New Delhi 110001 Dear Prime Minister, We bring to your urgent attention two important facts regarding the continuing construction of the Sardar Sarovar dam, and urge you to take immediate action. 1) The Narmada Control Authority (NCA) has given permission for construction of the dam up to 121.92 metres with the condition that the construction should be completed before the end of June 2006. However, the construction is still ongoing and water levels are rising as the monsoon has become active. The NCA order from its 76th meeting on March 8, 2006 says, "The project authorities should comply with the conditions laid down by the two Sub-groups of NCA and complete the above construction by the end of June, 2006." There is no permission from NCA for dam construction in July, while the status indicated on the Sardar Sarovar website is that the construction is ongoing as of July 5th and the dam height is between 117.8 m and 119 m. 2) There is no control to stop the waters from rising and overflowing in case of heavy rainfall. There is a clear danger that any further construction in this situation can damage the dam. This is because the concrete placed in the dam needs 2-4 weeks to cure and strengthen, and any flood overflow can cause potential breakage. Such an event would cause untold suffering downstream of SSP for the people of Gujarat living in cities like Bharuch and numerous villages. We urge you to act immediately and stop further construction of the dam, which is not sanctioned by NCA and hence illegal. As you know, there has been nationwide concern that the rehabilitation of the upstream project-affected families has not been completed. A dam breakage would be a disaster for the downstream people as well. Thanking you, Sincerely, Dr. Ravi Kuchimanchi, B.Tech. (Civil Engg), IIT Mumbai, Ph.D. in Physics, Univ. of Maryland
Dr. Aniruddha Vaidya, M.Tech., IISc Bangalore, Ph.D., Penn State University
Dr. Priya Ranjan, B.Tech., IIIT Kharagpur, Ph.D., Univ. of Maryland
Kirankumar Vissa, B.Tech., I.I.T. Chennai, M.S., Univ. of Maryland
Aravinda Pillalamarri, Ph.D. student, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison |
