[Reader-list] message from NBA

[Avinash Kumar]

From: medha at narmada.org <medha at narmada.org>

*       FLASH FLOODS IN NIMAD, 80 HOUSES AFFECTED
*       MASS RALLY ON JULY 4TH IN BADWANI (DISTRICT HEAD QUARTERS)


It was a shocking view as we reached the villages of Khaparkheda,
Bajrikheda
and Karmal. The water level rose and took away as many as 80
houses.Families have lost their houses, grains, clothes and other household
items.

A big drain that flows between Khaparkheda and Bajrikheda has led to  such
a severe impact without the Narmada waters entering inside the villages.
The water has reached the Reservoir Water Level mark.

Hence, it is very clear to the villagers that the official inserted stone
marks are not going to be the real indicators of what could be the  impact
of this flash flood. And when the dam height reaches the final mark of
138.68metres, one can only imagine the amount of destruction it will bring.

A large chunk of land in Khaparkheda is left out of acquisition while  the
Government claimed that the same would not be submerged. The people  living
have continuously complained over the years. The scenario in the  villages
today confirms the people's fears to be real and the Government's  claims
to
be false.

The flood came and one by one, houses started collapsing. The volunteering
farmers and youths from the village saved life and some of the  property,
while the rest flowed with the water. A few cattle also flowed along  with
the water. This makes clear that the Government has no machinery to inform
the  flooded villages whether dam-related or otherwise. The Government is
almost  absent
in the relief work. Andolan activists informed the police at 2 a.m. and
they reached the site with the Tehsildar only around 11 a.m. No relief
material has reached the villages yet, while the NBA could
provide some plastic sheets and the food arrangements were made by the
villagers. While the loss incurred, is mostly of the dalits, adivasis and a
few  other farmer families. The rest of the villagers made arrangements in
their  houses for the affected families and in public school premises. One
can only imagine some financial assistance that too a meager sum, which the
affected families can claim under the ongoing scheme.

The real question is - 'Should this years experience be taken as a  warning
against the unpredictable drought and flood cycle which the valley is
bound to face as a result of the cascade of dams with Sardar Sarovar at the
tail?' It is clear that due to displacement without rehabilitation and the
struggle under NBA and court orders, the upstream dams especially Indira
Sagar  and Omkareshwar cannot be fully filled and hence the reservoir water
will  be released from time and again to flood the villages and lands
underneath. The unpredictability of the impact is for sure going to result
to a
torturous situation, which no one can avoid. This seems to be just the
beginning. People in Sardar Sarovar region will have a Mass Protest  Rally
in Badwani (District Head Quarter) on the 4th of July.

Ashish Mandloi        Kamla Yadav            Medha Patkar

NARMADA BACHAO ANDOLAN
62 Gandhi Marg, Badwani, M.P.  Ph. 07290-222464 nba.badwani at gmail.com
Maitri Niwas, Tembewadi, Dhadgaon, Nandurbar, Maharashtra. Ph:
02595-220620
C/o B-13, Shivam Flats, Ellora Park, Vadodara -390023
Ph: 0265-2282232 nba.baroda at gmail.com
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