Why do people protest against India’s ambitious water project

Madhya Pradesh’s resident of the Central India province protests against a project that coordinates a multi-million dollar river, which robs their homes and livelihoods.

440BN Rupees (5.06BN) Ken-Betva Project (5.06BN), Mahya Pradesh’s Ken River, Neighboring Uttar Pradesh, a tunnel network, a dam through the channels network.

In the 1980s, 16 such tea coordinators are the first from the Indian National Perspective Plan for the development of water resources. The plan faced numerous delays – mainly due to environmental concern and political disputes – before the government is cleaned in 2021.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set the foundation stone for the construction of last year.

The drum-inclined Bundelkhand Bundelkhand is to help the Bundelkhand region – Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh’s parts – the arid climate and unexpected rainfalls have led to ten years.

The government will help irrigate 1.06 million hectares after completion in 2030 and help drink drinking water and produce 130 MW hydropower and solar energy.

However, at least 10 villages, including the widespread plots of the precious forest area, the reservoir will be expelled to the construction of more than 7,000 villages for the construction of more than 7,000 families.

“Our livelihoods are connected to our land – we do not know what the future is no longer,” Tulsi Adivasi, among thousands of villagers protesting the project.

Most of them belong to the local gond and shrubs depending on the edge of the forests and depending on agriculture.

Environmental experts will notify 98 km km km (38 km km km) of the 543 sqq km km (38 km km km), which successfully brought the project from the local extinction rig in 2009.

This can get the years of conservation efforts. “It has not been visible. Previously, we have not seen the main area of ​​a national park used for such a large-scale infrastructure project,” he said, “said Amit Bhatnagar.

The specialists panel, organized by the best trial of India in 2019, also raised concerns about the influence of concerns, economic vitality and wildlife in the region. The government said that this should investigate alternative irrigation methods in the river basin.

Independent research on river coordinating projects in India conducted similar observations.

2023 research published Nature Communication magazine says such efforts “These projects can aggravate water within the country, these projects are neutralized or perhaps reflective.”

However, Balleshwar Thakur, led by the National Water Development Agency, defended the project, and the authorities had a comprehensive investigation and received all environmental clearance for the project.

“We also appointed additional lands to replace the loss of the tiger residential and other species affected by the project,” he said.

The government official will be a potential “problem” to the biodiversity of the region, but the benefits of the project are above negative effects. ”

The losses have done little to comfort the villagers.

In the center of Daudhan, 48-year-old Mahesh Adivasi sat with a group of opposition men in the form of a protest song.

The Ken-Betwa warehouse is built by the government, gives water to others, but we drown us, “he said.

The village is one of the poorest areas in the region, the lack of basic objects such as clean drinking water and electricity.

The bitter irony of the river project does not lose its people – when their villages are never powered, they ask to leave their homes to give electricity in other regions.

“We found that generations were passed without progress. Now they are asked to sacrifice our lives for the progress of others.” Mahesh Adivasi said.

The government has offered the peasant’s optional compensation plan, where there is a lump sum area with 750,000 rupees ($ 8.655; £ 6,842) or 1,250,000 rupees. An additional amount based on land value will be provided for the landowners.

Mr. Thakur said that about 90% of people choose to take the amount of a lump sum. “In the meantime, the government began to look for alternative state lands to settle the villagers,” he said.

However, local residents say the proposed amount is insufficient. Tulsi Adivasi, BBC Hindi’s house showed a government warning that evaluated his house with 46,000 rupees.

“Can a house be built with this much money?” asked.

Others did not report when they should be unloaded or placed, when they burn concerns about the future.

“The project should have been a blessing for our village, but it is true, it will be more dark,” he said.

Questions were also increased against the claim that the project is expected to provide a water canal channel from Ken River.

Critics were spread to calculate the annual river, without independent inspection of 2003, without independent inspection.

Mr. Thakur denied the lawsuit and the authorities said the authorities said “All information to continue with the project.”

The environment, the environment, progressed with the project, said the government has been set as a “dangerous precedent” for similar development programs to be carried out in other geologically sensitive areas.

“And again, it emphasizes how much the most developing the most marginalization of development in India,” he said.

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