dams
Semai Take the Government to Court
Protests by the Semai over the construction of a hydroelectric dam that is destroying their forests, waters, and livelihoods have been increasing over the past couple of months. Numerous news sources in Malaysia have been covering the developments in six Orang Asli villages located in the town of Gopeng, in Perak State. A news story […]
Kerala Fails to Protect Tribal Societies
A report prepared by some tribal activists accuses the government of Kerala of undermining the rights of the scheduled tribes living in the state. To judge by an article published last week in the Deccan Chronicle, a major South Indian newspaper, the report appears to have focused on two of the highly peaceful societies in […]
Protecting the Dzongu: A Recent History
In 2006, the Lepchas of Sikkim became alarmed about proposals to build dams in the Teesta River basin, including ones in their Dzongu Reserve. Their protests, and their other responses to the dam-builders, form the subject of an article in Live History India, a digital platform that launched in 2017 to examine and reveal the […]
More Power for a Semai Village
A Malaysian university is installing an innovative hydro power project that will provide a sustainable supply of electricity to a remote Semai village in the Cameron Highlands. Harian Metro, a Malaysian newspaper, sent a reporter into the village to see the installation and report on the village of Pos Lemoi that will benefit from it. […]
Kadar Gaining Self Confidence
A couple months ago, some Kadar were working to restore one of their worship sites in Kerala’s Vazhachal Forest when forestry department officials going past asked them to stop. They politely refused, citing their rights under India’s Forest Rights Act (FRA). According to a report last week by Sibi Arasu in The News Minute, a […]
A Dam Proposal that Doesn’t Die
The government of Kerala has made it clear that they do not plan to give up on the Athirappilly project, despite opposition from experts, conservationists and the local Kadar people. A news report last week in The Hindu, one of India’s leading newspapers, described the latest government maneuvers that they hope will result in damming […]
The Sacred River
Despite protests by the Lepchas that the Teesta River and its tributaries are sacred, the Government of Sikkim continues to press for additional hydroelectric dams. India Climate Dialogue published a review last week by Athar Parvaiz of the reasons for Lepcha opposition to the dams, which are in various stages of planning. The government of […]
The Peaceful Kadar Fight for their Rights
The state of Kerala has apparently not counted on the strenuous opposition of the Kadar to government plans for proceeding with a big hydroelectric power project on the Chalakudy River. The small, peaceful tribe of about 2,000 people staged a demonstration in March to show the importance of forests to their way of life. Now […]
Kadar Strive to Save their Forest
Last week, V. K. Geetha, a very active Kadar woman leader, wrote an eloquent appeal for saving their forest from a hydropower dam. Instead of focusing on the potential destruction of two Kadar communities posed by the threatened Athirappilly Dam, as numerous past news reports have done, her letter was a paean of praise for […]
Recent Lepcha History Retold
Indian photojournalist Nikhil Roshan visited Passingdang, a village in the Dzongu Reserve of Sikkim, to assess the feelings of the Lepcha toward the proposed dams that threaten their culture and society.
