dams
Debate Continues in Kerala over Athirappilly Dam
A peaceful Kadar village, as well as a biologically diverse forest and the famed Athirappilly Waterall, would be destroyed by the proposed Athirappilly Dam in India’s Kerala state, but proponents do not seem to give up. The Union Minister of Forests and Environment decided in February to revoke permission from the Indian central government for […]
Impact of Chalakudy Dam on Kadar Villages
A feature article last week in Express Buzz, a major South Indian magazine, provides an in depth review of the continuing controversy over the proposed Athirappilly hydropower project on the Chalakudy River. Unlike many such articles in recent years, this one describes the effects of the dam on the two Kadar villages located near the […]
Bamboo Music from India
Although a proposed hydropower dam in India’s Kerala state, which would harm the natural environment and a Kadar village, was recently stopped by the national government, citizens continue to protest. A recent article describes a unique form of protesting against the dam on the Athirappilly River carried out by a group called the Pakkanar Bamboo […]
Continued Debate About Proposed Dam in Kerala
Back in February, it seemed as if India would definitely stop planning the Athirappilly Dam on the Chalakudy River, which would save the nearby forest ecosystem and a Kadar village. A series of articles in Indian newspapers last week describe the continuing unrest in Kerala State about the decision to stop the dam construction by […]
Kadar Village To Be Spared
The Union Minister of Forests and Environment for India continued last week to express his opposition to a huge power dam on the Chalakudy River in Kerala State. Jairam Ramesh told reporters in the small Kerala city of Palakkad on Friday that permission to build the dam was now out of the question. He had […]
Athirappilly Hydroelectric Proposal May Be Halted
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests in New Delhi issued a statement last week that may halt a proposed dam on the Chalakudy River in Kerala. According to a news report in The Hindu, a major Indian newspaper, the MOEF directed the Kerala State Electricity Board, which has been pushing for the project, to […]
Lepcha Organization Congratulates Itself
Despite the distance from Sikkim to Vermont, a Lepcha leader referred to a famous poem by Robert Frost when he summarized recent events related to the destruction of the Dzongu Reserve. At an annual general meeting of the Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), the primary Lepcha organization fighting the construction of power dams in their […]
New Studies of the Chalakudy River
Opponents of a proposed dam on the Chalakudy River in central Kerala, which will destroy a Kadar village, are launching a scientific investigation to study the management of the entire river system. The proposed dam would have a severe impact on the nearby Athirappilly waterfalls, a major tourist attraction for the region, and, its opponents […]
Negotiations Begin in Sikkim
Last week, the Chief Minister of Sikkim, Pawan Kumar Chamling, defended his decision to proceed with the construction of power dams in the northern part of his state, despite the opposition of many Lepcha people. The activist organization spearheading the agitation, Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), had agreed to stop protesting the dams with its […]
Power Dam in the Dzongu Reserve
A war of words continues in Sikkim over a proposed hydroelectric power project that endangers the natural ecology and spiritual values of the Dzongu Reserve, the homeland of the Lepcha people. Early last week, news stories in India reported that a White Paper presented by the Sikkim State Government, “Development of Hydropower Resources of Sikkim,” […]
