Have you been to a dam site? Dams stop a large body of water such as river or lake from flowing on its natural course. While dams help us in power generation and irrigation, it displaces Man, animals and other organisms in a major way. Dams can also contribute to serious imbalances in ecosystems.
In 1952, a power project was proposed in Manapouri, New Zealand.
The ‘Save Manapouri Campaign’ was an environmental campaign waged against this project. The campaign, which took place between 1959 and 1972 was aimed at preventing the raising of the water levels of lakes Manapouri and Te Anau as part of the construction of the project, which was known as the Manapouri Power Project.
The plans for Manapouri Power Station were developed in the 1950s and it involved raising Lake Manapouri by up to 30 metres. The project involved merging Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau.
Although the Save Manapouri Campaign had commenced in 1959, it later provided impetus for the international awareness of the environment that came with the prosperity of the 1960s. In 1970, 264,907 New Zealanders, almost 10 percent of the population, signed the Save Manapouri petition. The campaign was a successful one.
Picture Credit : Google
