Displacement,development and large dams

Abstract

Most struggles about large dams, though their genesis may have been in the direct impact on the people, have ultimately challenged the very necessity of these projects. These struggles have questioned the public purpose of the large dams, their viability, the cost/benefit ratio-and ultimately their very justification. Thus, before even the issue of rehabilitation or environmental mitigation can be seen, these struggles have asked whether the displacement is JUSTIFIED. Only if it can be justified, then the question arises about the resettlement, about the resettlement plan, policy, its adequacy and its feasibility. The same would apply for the environmental impacts.

Further, the struggles have challenged the current methodology of determining the public purpose of the project and have called for a far more participatory and democratic way of doing so. This would include the right to information, right to question, and ultimately the rights of the local and affected people to have a significant say in the management of their resources.

Thus, the dam struggles are fighting for, and working towards not just the problems of the displaced people or environment, but a vision of an alternative development paradigm and an alternative politics itself.

At the larger level, this effectively means that such struggles are calling for, fighting for an alternative politics, and a radical restructuring of the existing socio-political system.