To,
Dr.
Manmohan
Singh
The
Prime
Minister
of
India
&
Chairman
of
The
National
River
Ganga
Basin
Authority,
Prime
Minister’s
Office,
7,
Race
Course
Road,
New
Delhi
110001
AND
All
members
of
NRGBA
c/o
Union
Ministry
of
Environment
and
Forests
Paryavarahan
Bhawan,
CGO
Complex,
New
Delhi
110001
Ref:
Do
not
Hinder
the
River
Pinder
The
only
Un-dammed
major
confluence
and
tributary
of
National
River
Ganga
in
Uttarakhand
Respected
Sirs
&
Madams,
We
would
like
to
bring
to
your
attention
the
issue
of
saving
River
Pinder,
which
is
the
only
major
tributary
of
National
River
Ganga
in
Uttarakhand
that
remains
un-dammed.
The
Pinder
River
originates
from
Pindari
Glasier
in
Kumaun,
Uttarakhand.
Meaning
of
Ganga
Uttarakhand
is
the
motherland
of
National
River
Ganga.
In
Uttarakhand,
the
Ganga
gets
its
name
at
Devprayag
where
‘Bhagirathi
Ganga’
and
‘Vishnupadi
Alaknanda
Ganga’
meet
with
all
their
tributaries.
The
Viashnupadi
Alaknandaganga
has
5
PRAYAGs/
confluences
named-
Vishanuprayag
(Alaknanda-Dhouli);
Nandaprayag
(Nandakini-Alaknanda);
Karnaprayag
(Pinder-Alaknanda);
Rudraprayag
(Mandakini-Alaknanda)
and
Devprayag
(Alaknanda-Bhagirathi)
Map
of
Dams
on
National
Ganga
River
in
Uttarakhand
is
attached
as
Annexure-1
Fortunately,
Karnaprayag
is
yet
to
be
destroyed
and
Pinder
River
is
still
enjoying
its
uninterrupted
free
flow.
Cultrual
significance
of
Pinder
River
and
Karnaprayag
The
Pinder
valley
is
the
path
of
the
Jaat
yatra,
the
Raj
Jaat
yatra
of
Nanda
Devi,
which
has
been
going
on
since
centuries
in
the
region
and
is
of
huge
cultural
and
religious
significance
to
not
only
the
locals,
but
for
the
Pilgrims
all
over
the
world.
Nanda
Devi
(goddess)
Raajraat
Yatra,
also
called
the
Maha
Kumbh
yatra
(pilgrimage),
see
details
in
Attached
Annexure-2
Pinder
Valley
Hills
are
not
stable:
Landslides
ongoing
phenomena
Pinder
valley
has
seen
the
devastation
due
to
frequent
landslides,
the
latest
events
occurred
during
monsoon
2010.
The
whole
Pinder
valley
is
vulnerable
to
landslides,
specifically
three
Blocks
of
Deval,
tharali
and
Narayanbagar
where
all
these
dams
are
proposed
are
specially
vulnerable,
see
Attached
Annexure-3
Dams
and
People
in
Pinder
Valley
The
people
are
opposing
these
dams
in
the
Pinder
Valley
from
the
planning
stage.
The
peoples'
anger
came
out
in
many
ways
repeatedly,
but
specially
at
the
environmental
public
hearings.
In
the
first
environmental
public
hearing
for
the
proposed
Devsari
HEP
(252
MW)
at
Village
Kulsari
on
13
October
2009,
people
were
not
informed
of
the
public
hearing,
and
they
sat
in
dharna.
The
hearing
was
thus,
suspended.
The
second
public
hearing
at
village
Deval
on
22
July
2010
had
the
police
and
administration
working
together
to
do
anything
in
their
power
to
conduct
a
public
hearing,
even
if
it
was
in
violation
of
the
letter
and
spirit
of
these
hearings.
But
the
people
again
did
not
allow
this
hearing
to
take
place,
and
this
led
to
its
postponement.
Before
the
third
public
hearing
was
held
on
20
January
2011,
the
people
received
news
that
the
hearing
was
to
be
held
in
Tharali.
Instead
the
hearing
was
held
in
Chepdu
village,
where
public
was
not
allowed
to
enter,
or
express
their
views,
they
were
barricaded
from
the
area.
The
local
communities
with
supporting
organisations
organised
a
"Peoples'
Public
Hearing"
and
called
nationally
renowned
environmentalists
and
experts
to
its
panel.
These
included:
Prof.
Meher
Engineer,
Mr.
Manoj
Mishra,
Dr.
Shekhar
Pathak,
Dr.
Sudha
Vasan
and
Dr.
Sanjay
Kumar.
This
public
hearing
was
held
on
the
3
April
2011
at
the
confluence
of
River
Kail
and
Pinder.
Over
2000
people
came
from
all
the
villages
to
be
affected
by
and
surrounding
the
proposed
Devsari
HEP
in
the
Pinder
valley.
Conclusion
of
"Peoples'
Public
Hearing"
Panel
is
--
“Accordingly
it
is
our considered
view
that the project
to
dam
the
river
Pinder
must
not
be
imposed
on
the
people
of
Pinder
valley
in
the
face
of their
vehement
and
widespread rejection
of
the
same.”
In
view
of
these
far
reaching
and
significant
issues
for
the
people
of
Pinder
Valley,
Uttarakhand
the
whole
nation,
and
future
generations,
we
urge
you,
the
Prime
Minster
of
India
and
the
Chairperson
of
the
National
Ganga
River
Basin
Authority
and
all
other
repected
member
of
NRGBA
to
take
some
monumental
decisions;
- The National Ganga River Basin Authority must leave the Pinder River undammed in its entirety.
- The National Ganga River Basin Authority must put a stay on all the dam projects proposed on the River Pinder.
With
best
regards
On
behalf
of
Matu
Jansangthan
and
Bhuswami
Sangharsh
Samiti
Vimalbhai,
Subhash
Purohit,
Saumya,
Dinesh
Purohit,
Mamta
Shah,
Neema
Parihar,
Madan
Mishra,
Balwant
Agri,
Dinesh
Mishra,
Surendra
Parihar,
Bir
Singh,
Mahipat
Singh
Kaithat,
K.D.
Mishra,
Rajendra
Singh
and
all
other
Sathi-Sathine
Attachments-
1-Map
of
Dams
on
National
Ganga
River
in
Uttarakhand.
2-On
cultural
Aspect
3-
Pinder
Valley
Hills
are
not
stable
Annexure-2
Cultural aspect of Pinder Valley
The
sacred
river
Pinder
is
the
only
river
in
Uttarakhand
that
has
not
been
dammed
as
yet.
It
is
one
of
the
main
tributaries
of
River
Ganga.
This
Ganga
is
supposed
to
free
the
departed
souls
and
hence,
it
was
named
Pinder,
where
pind
means
death
rites.
This
river
meets
Alaknanda
at
Karnaprayag,
and
then
Alaknanda
meets
Mandakini
at
Rudraprayag
and
finally,
meets
Bhagirathi
at
Devprayag
to
form
the
Ganga,
as
the
river
is
called
from
there
on.
This
Ganga
finally
meets
the
Ganga
Sagar
and
thus,
frees
the
soul.
The
sangam
at
Deval
is
the
only
sangam
in
the
country
where
the
waters
of
5
rivers
meet-
the
Karganga,
the
Pinderi
ganga,
Saraswati
ganga,
Pandiganga,
Pushpaganga,
That
is
why
it
is
called
the
Panch
Mahaprayag,
which
is
no
less
revered
than
Badrinath
or
Kedarnath.
The
Pinder
valley
is
also
the
path
of
the
Jaat
yatra,
the
Raj
Jaat
yatra
of
Nanda
Devi,
which
have
been
going
on
since
centuries
in
the
region
and
is
of
cultural
and
religious
significance
to
not
only
the
locals,
but
to
Hindus
all
over
the
world.
The
sangam
at
Deval
is
the
spot
where
pilgrims
must
bathe
while
on
the
Nanda
Devi
(goddess)
Raajraat
Yatra,
also
called
the
Maha
Kumbh
yatra
(pilgrimage).The
Pinder
valley
is
also
home
to
the
Bhramakapaal
Shila
stone,
which
according
to
Hindu
mythology
is
found
at
only
two
places-
Badrinath,
and
Deval.
Annexure-3
Pinder
Valley
Hills
are
not
stable:
Landslide
is
ongoing
phenomena
The
massive
landslides
occurred
in
the
whole
Uttarakhand
in
monsoon
2010.
It
is
widely
known
that
Uttarakhand
has
been
classified
in
Seismic
Zones
IV
and
V,
which
means
that
it
is
under
constant
danger
of
earthquakes.
Due
to
the
increasing
number
of
dam
projects,
many
areas
have
become
more
vulnerable
to
landslides
and
seismic
activities.
Matu
and
other
affected
people
had
written
to
the
Geological
Survey
of
India
(GSI)
regarding
the
Pinder
valley
in
the
Chamoli
district.
The
villages
around
the
Pinder
River
have
been
the
sites
of
many
landslides
this
year
and
it
is
of
the
utmost
urgency
that
this
area
is
be
surveyed.
The
extent
of
devastation
caused
by
the
landslide
has
been
seriously
underestimated
by
the
administration.
For
example;
the
village
of Sunau was
established
on
top
of
the
ruins
of
a
past
landslide.
Around
150
years
ago,
a
major
landslide
wiped
out
the
entire
village.
Later
people
from
other
areas
came
and
settled
down
here.
In
the
year
of
2010
landslides
again
put
the
residents
at
risk.
The
arable
land
below
and
around
the
prime
village
of
the Suna gram
panchayat
has
been
completely
damaged
by
the
landslides.
All
the
local
water
resources
like
gadheras (streams)
and
small
waterfalls
necessary
for
these
villages
have
been
badly
hit
by
landslides
as
well.
At Padmalla,
a
girl
lost
her
life
when
her
house
collapsed.
The
cow
and
goat
perished
with
her. The
condition
of
the Kunnipartha village
is
even
worse.
It
needs
to
be
completely
rehabilitated.
These
are
only
few
examples,
the
situation
of
whole
Pinder
valley
hills
are
under
threat
of
landslide.
Due
to
the
fact,
that
if
the
Devsari
HEP
is
to
be
built
at Nandkesri
its
tunnel
has
to
underpass
the
villages
of
Paingad,
Sunau,
Devalgad,
Soona,
Tharali,
Kunnipartha,
Chepdu,
Nandkesari,
etc,
all
the
way
till Paithani.
Therefore,
there
is
an
urgent
need
of
a
full
geological
investigation
of
these
project-affected
areas.
=============================================================================
=============================================================================
To,
Dr.
Manmohan
Singh
The
Prime
Minister
of
India
&
Chairman
of
The
National
River
Ganga
Basin
Authority,
Prime
Minister’s
Office,
7,
Race
Course
Road,
New
Delhi
110001
AND
All
members
of
NRGBA
c/o
Union
Ministry
of
Environment
and
Forests
Paryavarahan
Bhawan,
CGO
Complex,
New
Delhi
110001
Ref.:
"Save
Ganga"
–– the
essence
of
Indian
Culture
&
Society.
Respected
Sirs/Madam,
We
at
Matu
Jansangthan
have
been
working
in
the
Ganga
and
Yamuna
valley,
Uttarakhand
for
more
than
a
decade.
Our
aim
is
to
protect
the
environment
and
peoples'
rights
to
their
natural
resources.
We
have
deep
concerns
for
our
mother,
the
river
Ganga,
and
the
way
in
which
the
course
and
state
of
the
river
is
damaged
by
hydro
power
projects.
We
are
primarily
concerned
with
the
way
in
which
these
projects
are
given
clearances..
We
find
that
the
National
River
Ganga
Basin
Authority,
which
is
headed
by
the
Prime
Minister
of
India
and
members
such
as
yourself
is
not
fulfilling
its
real
purpose.
We
find
that
nothing
has
come
out
of
the
efforts
to
save
Mother
Ganga
till
date.
Meaning
of
National
River
Ganga
Uttarakhand
is
the
motherland
of
National
River
Ganga.
In
Uttarakhand,
the
Ganga
gets
its
name
at
Devprayag
where
‘Bhagirathi
Ganga’
and
‘Vishnupadi
Alaknanda
Ganga’
meet
with
all
their
tributaries.
Viashnupadi
Alaknandaganga
has
5
PRAYAGs/
confluences
named-
Vishanuprayag
(Alaknanda-Dhouli);
Nandaprayag
(Nandakini-Alaknanda);
Karnaprayag
(Pinder-Alaknanda);
Rudraprayag
(Mandakini-Alaknanda)
and
Devprayag
(Alaknanda-Bhagirathi)
Map
of
Dams
on
National
Ganga
River
in
Uttarakhand
is
attached
as
Annexure-1
&
2
The
impact
of
commissioned
and
under
construction
HEPs
puts
the
National
River
Ganga
Valley
in
grave
danger.(Annexure-3)
HEPs
are
short
term
sources
of
energy
while
the
National
River
Ganga
is
not
only
an
ecosystem,
but
also
one
of
the
main
birth
places
of
Indian
culture.
This
is
evidenced
by
the
fact
that
the
first
Prime
Minister
of
India,
the Late
Pt.
Jawaher
Lal
Nehruji
considered
the
Gangaji
a
Historically
important
icon
of
the
Nation.
There
are
other
permanent
sources
for
genrating
energy,
these
should
be
consider.(Annexure-4)
We
believe
that
astha
or
faith
is
an
integral
part
of
humans
and
our
relationship
with
nature,
and
it
is
important
not
to
ignore
but
to
conserve
this
sentiment
as
it
has
led
to
the
health
of
our
environment.
For
this
reason,
it
is
integral
to
understanding
issues
of
the
environment,
ecology
and
of
peoples'
rights
to
natural
resources.
Development
planing
can
not
be
based
on
the
exploitation
of
natural
resources,
it
must
be
ecologically
balanced.
In
this
way,
the
development
of
the
future
must
incorporate
what
we
have
learnt
from
past
ecological
mistakes.
The
flow,
and
life
of
the
National
River
Ganga
are
in
danger
with
the
construction
of
big
dams,
thus
the
NRGBA
cannot
allow
the
construction
of
several
gigantic
dams
to
threaten
our
rivers.
The
need
of
the
hour
is
to
take
bold
steps
to
preserve
the
Mother
Ganga
as
whole.
Thus,
we
request
you
to:-
- Spare Gangaji from the devastation that will be caused by under construction and planned Hydro Electric Projects.
- To ensure this, repeal the Environment and Forest clearances of all Hydro Electric projects on the 'Bhagirathi Ganga' and 'Vishnupadi Alaknanda Ganga,' as well as on all their tributaries.
- Conduct a comprehensive credible and independent study on the impacts of HEPs and the ways in which we can protect Gangaji.
- The terms and conditions of conducting this Study should be made public. Peoples' organizations, independent environmentalists and social activists should be the part of the report making process.
- The recent "Study on Assessment of Cumulative Impact of Hydropower Projects in Alaknanda and Bhagirathi Basins up to Dev Prayag" done by the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee is incorrect and should be abandoned immediately.
- Stop all construction of HEPs on Gangaji till aforementioned study is completed.
- 130 km of the Bhagirathi ganga was scheduled to be declares an Ecosenstive Zone. This should not be delayed.
We
hope
you
will
respond
to
these
concerns
immediately.
Sincerly
yours,
Vimal
Bhai
(convener),
Puran Singh Rana, Rajendra Singh Negi, Narendra Pokhriyal
Attachments:
- A English Map of Hydro Electric Projects on Bhagirathi Gangaji in Uttarakhand.
- A English Map of Hydro Electric Projects on Vishnupadi Alaknanda Gangaji in Uttarakhand.
- "Impacts of HEP in Ganga Valley" A study done by Matu Jansangthan
- Permanent sources of Energy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annexure-4
PERMANENT
SOURCES
OF
ENERGY,
LIKE:-
- The Uttarakhand State has other permanent sources of power like- Wind energy, biomass energy etc. Why are they not being tapped?
- Solar, wind and biomass are big source of energy to fulfill at least village level demand. If the "Gharats" (Water Mills) are properly implemented, then the Uttarakhand villages will get a permanent source of employment, irrigation and electricity as well.
- The Panchayats or village level committee could also be kept incharge of such small projects.
- For point nor. 2 & 3, the need of tacnical assistance and funds must be arrange by Centre Govt. and State of UK Govt. NRGBA may direct for this.
