In response to
the growing opposition to large dams, the Commission on Dams (COD)
was established by the eIEN South Asia Western Himalaya Kashmir in
2005. The Commission came into existance from a variety of
backgrounds, representing a broad spectrum of interests – including
governments and non–governmental organisations, grassroots people's
movements and academicians .The world economy has reached a point
where it needed to manufacture needs and desires and raise the level
of construction activities so that the capitalist class could
continue accumulating capital; the system had reached a point where
the appetites of capitalists exceeded the demand.
Evidence have been recorded that, even in temperate zones like in
Kashmir , inundating wetlands changes them from net sinks to major
emitters of carbon dioxide and methane gases, and increases the
catalysis of methylmercury, a nerve toxin, from inorganic mercury in
sediments. "The worst hydropower projects may produce more
[greenhouse gases] than a coal-fired equivalent. A large population
of Wildlife is either disturbed or destroyed altogether.
We at Kashmir Commission on Dams strongly reject the claim that
hydropower comes cheaply. According to esro analysts, hydel power
projects costs normally over around Rs 3 to 3.6 crore per MW. But in
case of Sawalkote it was logging in at about Rs 12 crore per MW.
Comparing with the allegedly overpriced 2100 MW Enron project which
was being constructed at a cost of $ 2.8 billion or Rs 6.1 crore per
MW, our projects are at much higher side. A question mark has been
put at the end stating that how can a power project worth $1.6
billion have such a low tariff. Power from Dulhasti in the same
Chenab Valley is projected to come to a massive Rs 11 per unit.
Another question was haunting the esro experts that at a time when
the state government was unable to collect even Rs 2 per unit who
was going to collect money for the power produced from such projects
. Planners for large dams have ignored numerous additional cost
factors, including potential structural difficulties, human
resettlement costs, and environmental consequences.By all accounts,
dam building in Kashmir is fraught with corruption.
One of the most serious charges against hydropower plants in Kashmir
, though it applies to all dams, is its high social cost in terms of
involuntary resettlement. Thousands of people have been ousted by
dams. Most often, "oustees" are poor or indigenous people who often
leave behind productive farms and ancestral homes. Though these
groups pay the social and environmental costs of dam construction,
they don't receive the benefits--instead, those go to urban areas
and industries. Relocation can be a death sentence to a community
,"The dislocation itself causes mental and spiritual problems.
Twenty years after [about 90,000 people were] relocated for
hydroelectric power projects in Ghana, none of them could be found.
They'd migrated to cities, or died. You'd think this only happens
overseas, but it's happened [in the United States] with Kashmiri
tribes."
It is impractical and poor strategy to oppose all dams on principal.
Dams are here now; the issue is how to use them. Once, [dam
building] was a question of survival. Now we're trying to get the
maximum value from natural resources. Values today reflect
preference for environmental attributes as well as economic
development." The original purposes of dams were to improve human
quality of life by providing drinking water and to support economic
growth by diverting water for power. Now new dams should incorporate
understanding gained from past mistakes.
eIEN South Asia
Western Himalaya Kashmir
COD KASHMIR
A cause supported by 1000 non-governmental organizations in 60 countries.
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COD
eIEN South Asia
Western Himalaya Kashmir
In response to the growing opposition to large dams, the Commission on Dams (COD) was established by the eIEN South Asia Western Himalaya Kashmir in 2005. The Commission came into existance from a variety of backgrounds, representing a broad spectrum of interests – including governments and non–governmental organisations, grassroots people's movements and academicians .The world economy has reached a point where it needed to manufacture needs and desires and raise the level of construction activities so that the capitalist class could continue accumulating capital; the system had reached a point where the appetites of capitalists exceeded the demand.
COD KASHMIR Reports
Rationale for Jammu & Kashmir State Power Sector
Resettlement and rehabilitation: Moving from an inadequate policy to a bad one
Hydropower: Clean Energy or Destroyer?
Baglihar Face of the Controversial Dam
Sawalkot Hydropower Project EIA Statement yet to be disseminated
Kishenganga HPP ; will driving out the more than 25,000 Dard Shin people
Hydropower: Clean Energy or Destroyer ?
Evidence have been recorded that, even in temperate zones like in Kashmir , inundating wetlands changes them from net sinks to major emitters of carbon dioxide and methane gases, and increases the catalysis of methylmercury, a nerve toxin, from inorganic mercury in sediments. "The worst hydropower projects may produce more [greenhouse gases] than a coal-fired equivalent. A large population of Wildlife is either disturbed or destroyed altogether.
We at Kashmir Commission on Dams strongly reject the claim that hydropower comes cheaply. According to esro analysts, hydel power projects costs normally over around Rs 3 to 3.6 crore per MW. But in case of Sawalkote it was logging in at about Rs 12 crore per MW. Comparing with the allegedly overpriced 2100 MW Enron project which was being constructed at a cost of $ 2.8 billion or Rs 6.1 crore per MW, our projects are at much higher side. A question mark has been put at the end stating that how can a power project worth $1.6 billion have such a low tariff. Power from Dulhasti in the same Chenab Valley is projected to come to a massive Rs 11 per unit. Another question was haunting the esro experts that at a time when the state government was unable to collect even Rs 2 per unit who was going to collect money for the power produced from such projects . Planners for large dams have ignored numerous additional cost factors, including potential structural difficulties, human resettlement costs, and environmental consequences.By all accounts, dam building in Kashmir is fraught with corruption.
One of the most serious charges against hydropower plants in Kashmir , though it applies to all dams, is its high social cost in terms of involuntary resettlement. Thousands of people have been ousted by dams. Most often, "oustees" are poor or indigenous people who often leave behind productive farms and ancestral homes. Though these groups pay the social and environmental costs of dam construction, they don't receive the benefits--instead, those go to urban areas and industries. Relocation can be a death sentence to a community ,"The dislocation itself causes mental and spiritual problems. Twenty years after [about 90,000 people were] relocated for hydroelectric power projects in Ghana, none of them could be found. They'd migrated to cities, or died. You'd think this only happens overseas, but it's happened [in the United States] with Kashmiri tribes."
It is impractical and poor strategy to oppose all dams on principal. Dams are here now; the issue is how to use them. Once, [dam building] was a question of survival. Now we're trying to get the maximum value from natural resources. Values today reflect preference for environmental attributes as well as economic development." The original purposes of dams were to improve human quality of life by providing drinking water and to support economic growth by diverting water for power. Now new dams should incorporate understanding gained from past mistakes.