M. R. Srinivasan has written an persuasive article in favour of Dams. The supporting evidence from the USA and China about the irrigation facilities they have created through dams sounds impressive. He tells us that the USA has a quarter of our population (250 million) and a land area four times the size of ours, yet it has created three times the water storage capacity that we have. But he has left out a piece of crucial information: What is the quantity of rain which America receives and what is the rainfall pattern. In various parts of that large country, the rainfall may be so uncertain that a large storage is essential to tide our drought years. On the other hand, India is blessed with one of the best rainfalls in the world. We receive over 2000 million acre feet per year, and our main problem is to prevent useless run-off because of the inadequate vegetation cover on the land.

Innumerable accounts are now pouring in form various parts of the country that it is mis-management of our resources which is the culprit and not the absolute shortage of water. Even in our driest regions, if we develop the culture of not wasting a single drop of water it would see us through. Ranjit Nanda wrote in the Deccan Herald recently that the average rainfall across the country is 1100 mm, and if properly harvested this could easily provide the 100 liters per day required by every individual.

But if this is to happen we will have to re-forest our country, planting broad-leaved native species of trees to conserve the water underground whenever it rains. While the connection between trees and water becomes increasingly apparent, one aspect of this relationship is little known. This was highlighted by the Government of Bombay Circa 1930? Apparently our native trees, the banyan, peepal, neem and a hundred others have as much biomass below the ground as above the surface. These are all long-lived trees, and when they die the roots decay and leave large hollows in the ground. These vacant areas underground act as aquifers where the water is stored and which feed the streams, rivers and wells during the dry season. Obviously recreating this natural storage is a long term process. To undo the damage of the past will be time consuming, but since the future is timeless the thought of even a hundred year plan should not deter us. If we think in terms of only 5 year plans, we have to rush into short term decisions which create as many problems as they solve.

On the worrying question of rehabilitation of displaced persons from submergence areas, Mr. Srinivasan says that China is going to displace 10 lakh people in her Three George Dam, so why are we so hysterical about displacing just 1 lakh persons from the Sarovar Dam area. The answer is given by himself when he says: "Even when funds were available for the purpose of rehabilitation, the Indian disease of corruption has ensured that very little money actually went towards the welfare of the project-affected people."

Even supposing our big dam plans were carried out with total honesty, and they performed as well as they were meant to do, I would like to ask a fundamental question to our planners and that is: what is the sort of country we are planning for? Do we wish to retain the essential physiographical features of our country – its mountains, rivers, grasslands, wetlands and the unique flora and fauna, and the extraordinarily beautiful landscapes created by a combination of these natural resources; or does it not matter if they are bulldozed into a completely different bio-geographic aspect in the interest of commercial profit. Large dams completely change the physical appearance of the neighbouring countryside.

Mr. Srinivasan pleads his case by adding that "where earlier (in Rajasthan) only thorny babul trees were growing, we now grow high quality oranges, mangoes and so on". As a matter of fact, the thorny babul trees of the desert environment is a special ecological treasure which needs to be preserved. The desert flora is responsible for many species of birds, animals and insects which in unseen ways play their part in the region’s ecosystem. We might recall that on the 5th of March 1980, Mrs. Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister promulgated the World Conservation Strategy, whose main principles are: ecosystems, save genetic material and use resources sustainably. If we have big dams criss-crossing the country all the life preserving ecosystems are destroyed.

And what about the Conservation on preserving our Biodiversity which we signed a few years ago? This enjoins on us the responsibility of preserving our unique habitats and their life forms. And here is a case illustrating the type of contradictions we face. For rehabilitating the oustees from the Sardar Sarovar Dam we have already deforested 5000 hectares of land in the Nandurbar District of Maharashtra. In the surrounding forests, we have recently discovered a small population of one of the rarest birds in the world, the Forest Owlet (Athene Bleweitti). If any further destruction of the forest takes place, these birds will become extinct. These birds have become the cynosure of the leading ornithologists of the world because they have been rediscovered after having been last seen in 1880. Where then do our priorities lie? Saving genetic material and ecosystems or cutting down forests to make room for people displaced by big dams.

There is another minus point against big dams. In 1972, B.B. Vohra as Additional Secretary Agriculture, pointed out that India had lost as much land through water logging as had been gained for agriculture through surface irrigation. In his famous paper "Ground water comes of Age" he stressed the importance of ground water for agriculture as against surface irrigation because of the problem of pollution, loss through badly lined canals, and the cost to the farmer of making channels from the main canal up to his land.

Whether we agree with the above analysis or not, we have to agree with Mr. Srinivasan’s statement that "the biggest single failure of Indian society has been on the population front. We have now crossed the one billion mark, and we seem to be merrily adding one Australia in population every year". This undermines everything else that we achieve. By all the strategies available, the carrot and the stick included, we must make an effective hundred year plan so that on 31st December 2100 our population is no more than 500 million. Only then can all our material and spiritual aspirations be fulfilled. q

The Author (Mr. Zafar Futehally) is a famous Environmentalist, who has received recognition nationally and internationally. He has held high offices at IUCN, WWF, and BNHS with distinction. 

Zafar Futehally