Block the Destructive Tipaimukh Dam Project in India

Environment, Petitions — By Paul Preibisius on December 6, 2011 7:05 pm

Target: President of India Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil

Goal: To stop the destructive Tipaimukh Dam project in India.

Despite a tremendous outcry from peoples of the local Barak valley in India, the government has announced its intent to go forward with plans to build the Tipaimukh Dam.  The dam’s creation, intended to provide hydroelectric power, cannot be allowed to continue.

The largest concern comes from an Environmental Impact Assessment made to satisfy environmental requirements.  This assessment made clear concerns over the ‘desertification’ of Bangladesh.  The current desertification in the northwestern districts of the region due to the Farakka Dam gives compelling evidence that this can and will happen.

With the area starved for water, local rice crops—a staple of the area would be severely impacted.  This also impacts fish production as well given that the area’s fishing is heavily fueled by monsoonal flooding that leaves significant portions of the area under water.  Without this seasonal flooding, the ecosystem of the region will collapse.

For the local regions in exchange for what could be a drastic collapse in available food sources, the Indian government has chosen to offer 10% free electricity.  This attempt at some form of reparative buyout is not significant enough to be of any aid to a region that finds itself unable to produce several staple food sources—but its existence at all does reflect a government recognition that there is a concern that the area will be negatively impacted.

This is almost more disconcerting then if the government had approached the situation with blinders ignoring the potential environmental harm.  Instead it reflects a government that is well aware of the issue, and will attempt a token payout to allow them to say that locals were compensated and that the government did their part.

The Tipaimukh Dam cannot be built.  The distress to many regions supported by contributory rivers will be too great, and the ecological impact too dire.  Stop this project today.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear President Patil,

The Tipaimukh Dam presents an unfortunate clash in ideologies.  The clean energy of non-carbon burning power from hydroelectric plants can be thought of as a tremendous asset over fossil fuels.  Unfortunately far too often this ‘clean’ energy is obtained at a tremendous environmental cost to the region.

The impact of the Tipaimukh Dam on Bangladesh and surrounding areas within India is no different.  This dam is a potential disaster to the region that could lead to desertification throughout as water sources are redirected to fuel the dam.

This has already happened in northwestern districts of that very same region due to the creation of the Farakka Dam.  The evidence is compelling—not only does the Environmental Impact Assessment conducted declare it highly likely, but the aforementioned Farakka Dam provides incredibly direct evidence as to just how this can and will happen.

The impacted region relies heavily upon two dietary staples that are strongly tied to water sources, rice and fish.  Rice is among the most water-intensive of all crops and would be nearly impossible to continue as a staple crop once a region falls victim to desertification.  Fish production throughout the region relies heavily upon areas subject to monsoonal flooding.  Once the dam is built, these areas will no longer spend the monsoonal season under water.  This not only wrecks the economy, but the ecology of the region.

It is with this in mind that I urge you to halt the Tipaimukh Dam project.  Cheap electricity is not worth leaving a huge portion of the population starved and destitute.  Protect these people and the region they live in by eliminating this project once and for all.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Will Go Here]