Damning the Large Dams and their Benefits

Nitin Bassi

Once described as engine of India's economic growth through their contribution in providing water, food and energy security, large multipurpose irrigation projects have come under increasing scrutiny by some quarters for their adverse impacts. The anti-dam activists are increasingly describing such projects as monsters which can only lead to displacement of people, destruction of indigenous cultures and cause serious environmental damages, with forest and wildlife destruction being just a few.

Resettlement and rehabilitation of displaced population surely is an important concern which needs to be tackled with sensitivity and care, as has been recently demonstrated in the case of the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP). That doesn’t mean the benefits which these very multipurpose projects can provide to the large rural and urban populace can be completely ignored. Water security and mitigation of the impact of severe droughts is just one of the long-term benefits, but often intangible. Also, the environmental benefits in terms of groundwater recharge, production of clean hydro power, and the reservoirs (which act as wetlands) becoming new habitats for some of the wildlife are merely out of sight.

Often the cost of large irrigation projects are compared with small water harvesting structures (such as check dams) to promote and make a case for later, whereas attempts are made to twist facts to argue that the former do not produce any benefits. A recent article “Sardar Sarovar Project: Boon or Curse?” which appeared in The Hindu on September 22, 2017 is just one of many such mud-slinging exercises regularly done by civil society groups to caste large water projects in poor light and also belittle the efforts of those who work behind such projects using the mass media, knowing fully well that it is quite difficult for the agency under attack to counter them with facts and figures due to administrative and legal issues. 

This article in Hindu stated that SSP is irrigating a very thin strip of land in Gujarat, against a mammoth sum of Rs. 48,000 crore spent on it. It refuses to acknowledge the fact that the project has been supplying water to the dry regions of Gujarat for the past 15 years. The article end with making an appeal to the government to complete the canal network so that they can be used to recharge groundwater in the state and also supply good quality water for drinking! Against this rant, stand the following facts:

1] As per the recent assessment by Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited, SSP is already irrigating nearly 950,000 ha in Gujarat alone. In addition, it is irrigating nearly 50,000 ha in Rajasthan, using the water delivered by Narmada Main Canal. In addition, many thousands of wells in and around the command area get recharged from canal seepage and irrigation return flows. 

2] The Narmada canal based pipeline scheme is expected to cover about 10,500 villages in the state of Gujarat and Rajasthan, and most of them are already receiving drinking water supply from the Narmada waters

3] The hydropower unit in the river bed power house is generating many millions of units of electricity every year. Up to August 2017, around 35,000 million units (in cumulative terms) of electricity is already generated.

4] Water from Sardar Sarovar reservoir becomes the only permanent source of water which the government can rely for supplying water for basic needs, when large geographical areas in the state reel under droughts 

The comparisons between large dams and check dams are misplaced on the following accounts:

1) The very purpose of these interventions is different. For instance, in addition to providing irrigation water, large multipurpose irrigation projects aid in flood protection, hydropower generation, and drinking and other domestic water supply. Whereas, small check dams can only be suitable in catchments with high rainfall where they can provide water for local domestic use (but not drinking) and for irrigation but only to a limited number of beneficiaries. Often, farmers owning land near to check dams lift all the stored water for their personal use.

2) The entire range of social, economic and environmental benefits provided by large projects is not evaluated.

3) Their operation rules are not understood. Reservoir operations are regulated to ensure sufficient water availability throughout the year. In fact, in many of the semi-arid regions they are the only source of domestic water supply during summer months, whereas apart from some social compulsions, check dams do not have any operational regulations. 

Another convenient reason to ridicule multipurpose irrigation projects is delay in completion of their tertiary distribution network. Yes, it is a time taking for most of such projects as farmers have to be compensated (often at market price) for acquiring land for construction of minors and sub-minors. However, this is a process and is ultimately achieved through continuous social negotiations and acceptance. In any case, even without minors and sub-minors, farmers start using water from the distributary or branch canal for irrigation through lift.

For those who have no understanding of hydrology, water resources and agriculture in semi-arid regions, it is very easy to become arm chair critiques and ridicule irrigation projects as waste of money. The society does not need to worry about it. The problem is when it comes under the garb of scholarly critique. The reality is many of these projects are providing water, food and livelihood security and will continue to do so in future. Further, considering that India's per capita water storage, an indicator of water security, is among the lowest in the world, there is need to have such large water infrastructure. It is clear that the present government recognises this and therefore has initiated or renewed programmes to address water security, be it completion of 99 irrigation projects under one of the components of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) and projects under much larger inter-basin water transfers. The pessimists can continue to think otherwise and make case against them.

Nitin Bassi is a Senior Researcher with Institute for Resource Analysis and Policy [IRAP] and based at their Liaison Office in New Delhi. ?Email: [email protected]