Dams restrict the natural flow of water bodies such as rivers and lakes. The water that is held back by stone and concrete can instantly turn into a water bomb, if some seismic activity takes place where the dam is constructed!
The Tehri Dam has been the object of protests by environmental organisations and local people of the region. The dam is across the Bhagirathi River near Tehri in Uttarakhand. V.D. Saklani, lawyer and founder of the Anti-Tehri Dam Struggle Committee, has pointed out the consequences associated with the large project such as the short life span of the dam and large-scale human displacement.
Environmental activist Sunderlal Bahuguna led the Anti-Tehri Dam movement from 1980s to 2004. The protest was against the displacement of town inhabitants and environmental consequences. The concerns were about the environmental consequences of locating such a large dam in the fragile ecosystem of the Himalayan foothills.
Experts have also raised concerns regarding the dam’s geological stability. The Tehri Dam is in the Central Himalayan Seismic Gap, a major geologic fault zone. The movement failed to gather enough support at national as well as international levels.
Picture Credit : Google