Petition to study ecological & cultural impact of Tehri Dam

To:  President of India

A PETITION REQUESTING AN IMMEDIATE STUDY OF THE GEOLOGICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHANGES AT TEHRI SINCE THE RECENT EARTHQUAKE IN KASHMIR

The Honourable President Sri Abdul Kalaam
Can we envision a Bharat where the majestic Himalayas are devoid of their rich bio-diversity and Mother Ganga flows like a trickle? Can we think of a Bharat without the Thirtha Sthalas of Devaprayag, Haridwar and Rishikesh? Are we prepared to face the catastrophic consequences if the Tehri Dam breaks due to an Earthquake or Terrorism?

We, the citizens of India, are appalled that factors which point so clearly against the construction of the Tehri dam are being ignored by the government. Our concern is that the government is moving ahead to finish the Tehri Dam which is:
• Increasing the threat of earthquakes and their catastrophic consequences in the region
• Reducing the flow of Mother Ganga to sacred places such as Rishikesh, Haridwar and Devprayag, thus failing to respect the sentiments of the entire nation for whom Mother Ganga is sacrosanct
• Creating an ecological disaster by destroying forests and ecosystems
• Uprooting the indigenous population in the Himalayas, whom the government has an obligation to protect
• Destroying local economies in the vicinity of the now drying up river

We are deeply anguished that the Government has been proceeding on this project without thoroughly researching the disastrous and long term impact that the Tehri dam construction could have on our environment and our culture. There have been many demonstrations, protests and even a case in the Supreme Court against the finishing of the Tehri Dam, and we would like to add our voices to this protest.


Indians, down the ages, have worshipped Mother Nature and the elements and never desecrated nor created an imbalance in the environment. This attitude has helped us withstand numerous invasions throughout history, but now, post-independence, our government seems lackadaisical about preserving our ecological and cultural heritage. Does the government have the right to disrupt the natural flow of Mother Ganga, which has been an integral part of our national consciousness from time immemorial?

There are detailed studies and reports on the potential disasters that the Tehri Dam will bring in its wake, whether it is standing or if it breaks down. Ongoing scientific investigations support theories that “The monster quake in Pakistan & Kashmir could be linked to the tectonic shifts below the Tehri dam 600 km away”, as a noted conservationist says. Bulu Iman of INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) affirmed that his organization had warned us, almost two decades ago, of seismic hazards of eight-plus on the Richter scale if the dam was built, impacting cities like New Delhi as far as 350 km away.

While we acknowledge that the dam may temporarily fulfill a few requirements of a small percentage of our population, these pale in comparison to the hazards that it will create for the entire nation. Our earnest request is that the Honorable President of the world’s largest democracy gives the voice of its people a chance to be heard and their earnest wishes fulfilled to protect their cultural and ecological heritage.
We request the Honourable President to have an independent agency like the Geological Survey of India perform a detailed study of the Tehri Region after the earth-quake in Kashmir to understand the geological and ecological implications in the region.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Petition to study ecological & cultural impact of Tehri Dam Petition to President of India was created by and written by Vijayalakshmi Vijayakumar (heritage@yes2yoga.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

Send this to a friend